Concepts in the Ukraine War
What is the difference between bombs, rockets and artillery?
By Holger Preiss
3/30/2022, 5:33 p.m
With regard to the war in Ukraine, there is repeated talk of bomb, rocket and artillery attacks. But what does that mean in detail? Are they different names for the same bullets? Can they be used synonymously or do they have completely different effects and areas of application?
In the course of reporting on the war in Ukraine, there is repeated talk of bombs being dropped, of Russian rockets being fired at Ukrainian cities or of artillery shelling of troops or towns. But what are the differences? Are there any at all or can the terms be used synonymously? The answer to the last question is a resounding no. All three designations stand for different types of shelling with different consequences.
The Bomb
In the military sense, a bomb is an explosive device that is filled with explosive material and reaches its target without a propellant, just by its own gravity, dropped from an airplane. As a rule, the aircraft bomb has an impact fuse whose movable firing pin ensures that the bomb detonates when it hits the ground. Instead of an impact fuse, a bomb can also be fitted with a long-term fuse, which triggers the explosion some time after impact.
The devastating effects of bombs in the military sense vary. However, their use is usually the same.
(Photo: dpa)
There are different types of bombs to reach the destructive targets. During the Second World War, aerial mines were the preferred choice for air warfare by German, British and US troops. Other names for it are mine bombs. Blockbuster or Blockbuster. These heavy explosive bombs were used to destroy cities.
The Air Mine’s devastating effect is that its enormous blast wave can destroy buildings within a 100 meter radius. In humans, the blast usually causes fatal ruptures in the lungs. Incendiary bombs were also used during World War II. Incendiary bombs include stick incendiary, napalm, aerosol, and thermobaric effect bombs. Of course there are also bombs with an ABC effect, i.e. with chemical or biological warfare agents and nuclear weapons in the form of atomic or neutron bombs.
The problem with aerial bombing, however, is the lack of accuracy. The wind alone can shift the target area by a few kilometers from the point of release. Nowadays, not only a GPS is used for dropping bombs, but so-called “smart bombs” find their target independently or are remotely controlled after dropping.
The missiles
A surface-to-surface missile on launch.
(Photo: dpa)
However, the “Smart Bombs” are actually rockets again. Because this precision-guided ammunition has its own propellant charge, which, after leaving the carrier system and with the help of a target detection system, brings it to the destination of destruction. It doesn’t matter where the rockets are fired from. As a surface-to-surface missile, as the name suggests, they are used from the ground against targets on the ground, but can also be launched from ships or submarines. Air-to-surface missiles, on the other hand, are used by aircraft or helicopters against both ground and sea targets.
Military missiles also include ballistic missiles. However, they are only set in motion by a starting engine and reach their destination via a trajectory that usually describes a throw parabola. Ballistic missiles are launched from mobile or fixed launch pads. The problem with the ballistic missile is that the precision of the trajectory depends on the range of the target. The further away it is, the more inaccurate it becomes. However, the most accurate ICBMs rarely deviate more than 100 meters from the target, while the least accurate can be as much as five kilometers. The Russian hypersonic missile “Kinschal” also belongs to the ballistic missiles, but it is launched from a fighter plane and is considered very accurate due to its enormous speed.
The artillery
When we talk about artillery fire, we are talking about large-caliber guns, missile weapons and the name of a military branch that uses these weapons exclusively from the ground. Artillery is the mainstay of firefighting in modern warfare. This means that it can fire on the enemy at any time of the day or night and regardless of the weather. Thanks to the mobility of the artillery weapon systems, such as battle tanks or mobile artillery pieces, the numerical inferiority of your own troops can be compensated for.
When the artillery attacks over long distances – we are talking about a distance of more than 50 kilometers – long-range ground-to-ground systems are used. This also includes rocket launchers or Luftwaffe assets in the form of combat aircraft, helicopters or armed drones. In addition to tanks, so-called self-propelled guns are also used on the ground. The range of projectiles from such barrel weapons, for example in the form of a self-propelled howitzer, is up to 40 kilometers.