Explosive weapons
Encyclopedia
An explosive weapon generally uses high explosive to project blast
and/or fragmentation
from a point of detonation
.
Explosive weapons may be subdivided by their method of manufacture into explosive ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Certain types of explosive ordnance and many improvised explosive devices are sometimes referred to under the generic term bomb
.
When explosive weapons fail to function as designed they are often left as unexploded ordnance
(UXO).
In the common practice of states
, explosive weapons are generally the preserve of the military
, for use in situations of armed conflict, and are rarely used for purposes of domestic policing.
Taken in combination, Amended Protocol II and Protocol V of the United Nations
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
establish a responsibility on the users of explosive weapons to record and retain information on their use of such weapons (including the location of use and the type and quantity of weapons used), to provide such information to parties in control of territory that may be affected by UXO, and to assist with the removal of this threat.
Certain types of explosive weapon have been subject to prohibition in international treaties. The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions
both prohibit categories of explosive weapons for states
that have adopted these instruments.
In armed conflict, the general rules of international humanitarian law
apply to attacks with all types of explosive weapon.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has expressed increasing concern at "the humanitarian impact of explosive weapons, in particular when used in densely populated areas." The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger
has noted that "ICRC’s key operations in 2009 – in the Gaza Strip and in Sri Lanka – provided stark illustrations of the potentially devastating humanitarian consequences of military operations conducted in densely populated areas, especially when heavy or highly explosive weapons are used."
The International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) is an NGO partnership calling for immediate action to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Blast wave
A blast wave in fluid dynamics is the pressure and flow resulting from the deposition of a large amount of energy in a small very localised volume. The flow field can be approximated as a lead shock wave, followed by a 'self-similar' subsonic flow field. In simpler terms, a blast wave is an area of...
and/or fragmentation
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
from a point of detonation
Detonation
Detonation involves a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations are observed in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases...
.
Explosive weapons may be subdivided by their method of manufacture into explosive ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Certain types of explosive ordnance and many improvised explosive devices are sometimes referred to under the generic term bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
.
When explosive weapons fail to function as designed they are often left as unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
(UXO).
In the common practice of states
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
, explosive weapons are generally the preserve of the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
, for use in situations of armed conflict, and are rarely used for purposes of domestic policing.
Taken in combination, Amended Protocol II and Protocol V of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons , concluded at Geneva on October 10, 1980 and entered into force in December 1983, seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of certain conventional weapons which are considered excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate.The...
establish a responsibility on the users of explosive weapons to record and retain information on their use of such weapons (including the location of use and the type and quantity of weapons used), to provide such information to parties in control of territory that may be affected by UXO, and to assist with the removal of this threat.
Certain types of explosive weapon have been subject to prohibition in international treaties. The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions
Convention on Cluster Munitions
The Convention on Cluster Munitions is an international treaty that prohibits the use, transfer and stockpile of cluster bombs, a type of explosive weapon which scatters submunitions over an area. The convention was adopted on 2008 in Dublin, and was opened for signature on 2008 in Oslo...
both prohibit categories of explosive weapons for states
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
that have adopted these instruments.
In armed conflict, the general rules of international humanitarian law
International humanitarian law
International humanitarian law , often referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus that comprises "the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law." It...
apply to attacks with all types of explosive weapon.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has expressed increasing concern at "the humanitarian impact of explosive weapons, in particular when used in densely populated areas." The President of the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
(ICRC), Jakob Kellenberger
Jakob Kellenberger
Jakob Kellenberger is a former Swiss diplomat and the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross .-Biography:Jakob Kellenberger was born in the Swiss canton of Appenzell in 1944....
has noted that "ICRC’s key operations in 2009 – in the Gaza Strip and in Sri Lanka – provided stark illustrations of the potentially devastating humanitarian consequences of military operations conducted in densely populated areas, especially when heavy or highly explosive weapons are used."
The International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) is an NGO partnership calling for immediate action to prevent human suffering from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.