Explosives
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Explosive selection boxes
Some Christmas trivia << Three locks for the price of one New Year’s Resolutions >> Nollaig Shona and Merry Christmas wherever you are reading this. I’m taking a break for the next two weeks to spend time relaxing with family… Continue reading
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Don’t eat the grenade
How hand-thrown fragmentation weapons work (or don’t) << Explosive porcupines Silicon psychopaths>> Hello again folks. This week I’m going to talk about hand grenades. I was prompted by watching the movie Sinners, which (although excellent) features one instance of the… Continue reading
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Explosive porcupines: Why strapping explosives to tanks makes them safer
Tanks, Explosive Reactive Armour and Defensive Aid Suites << The end of the line Don’t eat the grenade >> Update: If you’re new here, you might also be interested in learning how vehicle armour works (terminal ballistics) or busting the… Continue reading
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The end of the line
The science of terminal ballistics << Ireland and the Defence Industrial Complex Explosive porcupines >> Today is the last instalment in my periodic series on ballistics. We’ve ran out of road on this story, and reached our terminus: terminal ballistics,… Continue reading
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Woke warriors: Sustainability and the military
Can military operations be sustainable? Should they be? << Send in the troops (Part 2) Splash damage in video games >> Today I want to look at sustainability in the military context. I’m talking about “sustainability” in its everyday meaning… Continue reading
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The science behind the Massive Ordnance Penetrator
A quick guide to bunker-busting bombs. << Send in the troops (Part 1) Send in the troops (Part 2) >> Hello again. This week I rejigged my editorial calendar a bit in order to write about the “bunker busting” bombs… Continue reading
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Indiscriminate killers?
The reality of cluster munitions << My culture is not your fitness regime Film review: Warfare >> Hello again to all my new and regular readers alike. Cluster munitions have been in the news recently, primarily because of the Russo-Ukrainian War.… Continue reading
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Custard bombs
Dust as an explosive hazard << Magical instant bullets What do you do in the army? >> Hello again to all. This week I was inspired to write about dust explosions after one of you shared a BBC article with… Continue reading
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TNT vs. dynamite
Two very different (but oft-confused) explosives. << Film review: Civil War The military lone wolf in Hollywood storytelling >> This week I’d like to spend a bit of time talking about two interesting explosives1 which people often think of as… Continue reading
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Weapon critiques: HEAT doesn’t melt
What Hollywood and the media gets wrong about anti-tank weapons. << EOD Critiques: Don’t cut the red wire! Weapon critiques: Rocket fails>> This week I want to talk about anti-tank ammunition, specifically, what we in the business call “HEAT”, or… Continue reading
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EOD Critiques: Don’t cut the red wire!
Manual neutralisation techniques in Hollywood vs. reality. << Memoirs of a CBRN crusader Weapon critiques: HEAT doesn’t melt >> Hello again, and welcome to another instalment of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) critiques, this time looking at “manual neutralisation” techniques (MNT),… Continue reading
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Ammunition storage failures
Doing things the right way is hard work. << After the war: unexploded ordnance Christmas greetings >> Hello again to all my new and old readers alike. I hope you enjoyed last week’s discussion on WW2 bomb disposal in Germany… Continue reading
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After the war: unexploded ordnance
Why bombs are still around decades after being dropped. << Six months of military pedantry Ammunition storage failures >> Hello again to all my readers. I started writing this week’s post as I flew home, full of glühwein and good… Continue reading
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Exploding cars (Part 2)
Target behaviour. << Exploding cars (Part 1) EOD critiques: The Hurt Locker >> This week is the promised follow-up to last week’s discussion on exploding cars in film and TV, and how screenwriters don’t really understand how terrorists and criminals go… Continue reading
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Exploding cars (Part 1)
Perpetrator behaviour. << Film fashion faux pas Exploding cars (Part 2)>> Let me be very clear: I am not going to tell you how to blow up a car. So if that’s what you were looking for, please look elsewhere. Unfortunately… Continue reading
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More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 3)
Muzzle flash: look where I am! << More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 2) Firearm fails: Pushing the envelope of pistol performance (Part 3) >> Welcome back to my blog, whether you’re a new or returning reader.… Continue reading
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More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 2)
What it takes to actually outrun an explosion. << More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 1) More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 3)>> Hello again! In our last post we looked at how Hollywood… Continue reading
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More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 1)
The difference between “Real” and “Hollywood” explosions. << Will the real Jack Reacher please stand up? More bang, less light: Explosions in film and TV (Part 2) >> This week I’m keen to share my thoughts on Hollywood’s idea of… Continue reading
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Lessons in artillery abuse
The biggest, baddest, and boldest movie ammunition fail in Hollywood history. << What does the “D” in “D-Day” stand for? What Hollywood gets wrong about military radio communications >> This week we’re going to look one scene from an action movie which… Continue reading
