Which Devastating Bomb Incinerated Jaish Terrorists in Balakot? A Detailed analysis

While explaining how India bombed the Balakot, everyone has talked about the SPICE-2000 bomb kit.  Which is basically a guidance kit that delivers the bombs at a certain place and target with uncanny accuracy.   However, no one is talking about the bomb that was used with this guidance kit.

SPICE 2000 is guidance kit, not a bomb.Which bomb incinerated the entire Jaish? detailed look at the use of one of the most advanced explosives in the world today! Click To Tweet

To destroy the largest terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the Indian Air Force used the Israeli SPICE-2000 guidance kit. Bombs fitted with the kit were dropped over Pakistan in a pre-dawn raid on February 26. (source)

And this thread by Angad Singh goes into more details.

What happened inside those halls was caused by that bomb and its impact.

What bomb was used is the key to the damage done.  And, in this case the damage to the Jaish terrorists were inflicted by the technology of the bombs used.

In this rather long and informative article Samir Joshi an ex-Indian Air Force pilot who has flown Mirage 2000 and Mig-21s explains what would have happened and then finally shares an update that contradicts his earlier analysis.

CONFIRMATION FROM INDIAN AIR FORCE ON TARGETS HIT : The IAF has confirmed through sources that the main hall (the biggest target seen) WAS NOT targeted by the SPICE Bombs. The TRAINEE ACCOMMODATION (a very recent construction), which was incorrectly marked on the PRE-STRIKE vintage imagery (ref in above photos) of April 2018 on Google Maps; is updated with latest Worldview2 High Res POST-STRIKE imagery, is seen on the extreme North edge (Ref Target 1 below) on the Jaba Top. Possible incursions of SPICE Bombs is visible on the roof. This had two storeys and the bombs would have penetrated both to dig in approx. 3.5 meters below the base floor, activating the low mass explosive. The building would easily survive the blast due its size, however most of the inhabitants would be most probably killed by the effects of blast overpressure.

Inhabitants would have been killed by the over-pressure.  So the question is because of WHICH bomb?

Which bomb was used to incinerate the Jaish terrorists?

A clue came in this video of TimesNow.  Watch until 14:00.  The anchor says that there is a complete vacuum and that no living being can survive the blast.  He also insists that this bomb is used for high-target assassinations.

These pieces of information gave me the clue and I looked deeper and found the type of bomb that may have been used.  In all probability the bomb used the Thermobaric technology.

Thermobaric technology (read a detailed paper by one of the Indian scientists who has worked on this technology Thermobaric technology_HEMRL – India) in India has been researched and developed for many years now.  Very few countries have these bombs and they produce extremely terrible impact.

Such suffering and death is distressing and inhumane. That is what is inflicted by a thermobaric bomb, sometimes called a “vacuum bomb.” They first appeared in modern form in the 1960s and have been refined ever since. Russia, the United States, China India and many others have them.

The effect it has on the subjects around, would probably be the perfect punishment for those terrorists who have no qualms and morals.  And the way they are killed is so devastating – all due to the extreme pressure situation created.

These, often aluminium-based, particles ignite a fraction of a second later and burn at very high temperatures. The two blasts combine for maximum effect. They use up all the oxygen in the surrounding air, creating a vacuum – hence “vacuum bomb.” The resulting vacuum can be powerful enough to rupture the lungs and eardrums of anyone nearby. (source)

The Thermobaric Hellfire missiles are used in many anti-terror strikes by the American forces.  Here is one description of what happens when this missile hits.

The most immediate consequence of drone strikes is, of course, death and injury to those targeted or near a strike. The missiles fired from drones kill or injure in several ways, including through incineration[3], shrapnel, and the release of powerful blast waves capable of crushing internal organs. Those who do survive drone strikes often suffer disfiguring burns and shrapnel wounds, limb amputations, as well as vision and hearing loss. . . .

In addition, because the Hellfire missiles fired from drones often incinerate the victims’ bodies, and leave them in pieces and unidentifiable, traditional burial processes are rendered impossible. As Firoz Ali Khan, a shopkeeper whose father-in-law’s home was struck, graphically described, “These missiles are very powerful. They destroy human beings . . .

. Pieces. Whatever is left is just little pieces of bodies and cloth.”

That is why these bombs are used for hitting at high value human targets and assassinations.

Remember that when pressure due to the vacuum created outside is high, a lot of damage can happen to a human body.

A 35-45 psi overpressure may cause 1% fatalities, and 55 to 65 psi overpressure may cause 99% fatalities. (Glasstone and Dolan, 1977; TM 5-1300, 1990) [source]

While many many terrorists would have simply been incinerated and blown to pieces from inside out, those who even managed to survive somehow would have been damaged beyond recognition!

Incinerated but cannot even complain!

Now, around the world, the Thermobaric bombs have a mixed reaction.  Their impact is so devastating that people have termed it as controversial as some call it very inhumane in the way the impact they have.  For example, imagine that the whole oxygen is sucked out from the atmosphere and the people there cannot breathe and there is a vacuum.  So if the lack of oxygen makes your struggle, the vacuum outside can burst you ears and lungs.  And then the explosive – which is a metal powder – is inhaled inside.  And then everything is set ablaze – so people there would burn from inside.

The death would be the most devastating to anyone subjected to such bombs.

If this had happened ordinarily, Pakistanis would have raised hell.

But, the most ironic thing of this attack was that they cannot even say a word!  Because the very attempt at trying to ding India in this case would mean that it will have to acknowledge that India did incinerate all those Jaish jehadis.  Something that would render the whole Pakistan Air force and Army as an impotent force.  So they will not acknowledge that.

And, this is the calculation that allowed India to use whatever type of bomb could get it the desired impact and result.  Of course, the fact that only a handful of nations have this technology – including India – shows the smarts of the Indian scientists.

For one who has faced the many frustrations on the numerous Pakistani attacks, tortures (like those to Saurabh Kalia and friends) and the blasts where so many innocents would die, this kind of attack is especially so heartening.

The most amazing fact of this situation is that not only did India incinerate the Terrorists, the Pakistani Army officers and ISI, they cannot even complain.  In fact, they cannot even acknowledge.   Even when the death toll was so high the impact so devastating.

It is this inability to even open their mouth, when India has beaten them black and blue, that is so satisfying to everyone in India.