airburst
Explosion above ground
An airburst is an explosion that occurs in the air rather than on impact with the ground or water.
The term applies especially to nuclear weapons detonated at altitude to maximize blast damage over a wide area, but also describes conventional munitions and natural events like meteor explosions: The Tunguska event was a massive airburst that flattened forests across Siberia.
Violent burst of energy
- blastSudden forceful burst
- detonationExplosive ignition event
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
overpressure · yield · kiloton · megaton · warhead · nuclear · thermonuclear · fission
Detonating meteor, very bright
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
- asteroidSun-orbiting rocky mass
- meteoroidSmall body in space
- disintegrationProcess of breaking apart
fragmentation · shock · cosmic · trajectory · ablation · luminous
Instrument for inflicting harm
- bombExplosive device or disaster
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- shellHard outer covering
missile · warhead · tactical · strategic · ordnance · anti-aircraft · flak · intercept
Act of completely ruining
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- burnsHeat-caused tissue damage
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
EMP · firestorm · shrapnel · debris · fragmentation
Pressure exceeding ambient levels
- concussionBrain injury from impact
- wavefrontSurface of equal phase
- compressionForcing into smaller space
- rarefactionDecrease in density
impulse · amplitude · propagation · reflection · refraction · duration
explosion
Violent burst of energy
- blastSudden forceful burst
- detonationExplosive ignition event
- fireballLuminous meteor or explosion
shockwave · overpressure · yield · kiloton · megaton · warhead · nuclear · thermonuclear · fission · fusion
bolide
Detonating meteor, very bright
disintegration · fragmentation · shock · cosmic · trajectory · ablation · luminous
weapon
Instrument for inflicting harm
- bombExplosive device or disaster
- munitionMilitary weapon or projectile
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
shell · missile · warhead · tactical · strategic · ordnance · anti-aircraft · flak · intercept · barrage
destruction
Act of completely ruining
- devastationSevere widespread destruction
- burnsHeat-caused tissue damage
- casualtiesThose killed or wounded
fallout · EMP · firestorm · shrapnel · debris · fragmentation
overpressure
Pressure exceeding ambient levels
- concussionBrain injury from impact
- wavefrontSurface of equal phase
- compressionForcing into smaller space
rarefaction · impulse · amplitude · propagation · reflection · refraction · duration
- Explosionsexplosion, blast, detonation, boom, bang
- Nuclear Testsnuclear test, nuclear explosion, underground test, atmospheric test, weapons test
- artillerycannons, cannon, howitzers, howitzer, mortars
- air raidsbombing, raid, bomb, bombs, bomber
- Asteroid DefenseNEO, planetary defense, threat detection, collision course, early warning
- gunfireshoot, gunshot, artillery fire, fire, gunfire