Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of aerial bomb designed to produce a large number of high-velocity metal fragments upon detonation. Its primary purpose is to inflict casualties on personnel and damage to unarmored or lightly armored vehicles over a wide area. The explosive charge constitutes a relatively small percentage (typically 10-20%) of the bomb's total weight, with the remainder being the heavy casing designed to fragment.

Usage

• The term "fragmentation bomb" is used in military contexts to describe a specific class of anti-personnel and anti-material ordnance.
• It is often discussed in relation to tactics, historical conflicts, and the effects of aerial bombardment.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The air force deployed fragmentation bombs to target the enemy infantry positions.
  • The treaty sought to restrict the use of certain fragmentation bombs in populated areas.
  • The crater was surrounded by shrapnel from the fragmentation bomb.

Advanced Usage

• Technical Context: In military logistics and specifications, the term precisely denotes bombs like the AN-M41 or similar, where the destructive effect comes primarily from projected fragments rather than blast overpressure.
• Historical Context: Fragmentation bombs were extensively used in 20th-century wars, from World War II to the Vietnam War, and their development is a key part of aerial warfare history.

Variants and Related Words

• Frag bomb (n): A common abbreviated form of "fragmentation bomb."
• Anti-personnel bomb (n): A broader category that includes fragmentation bombs.
• Cluster bomb (n): A different type of ordnance that disperses multiple smaller submunitions, which can include fragmentation bomblets. (Note: This is a related but distinct weapon system.)
• Shrapnel (n): The fragments thrown out by an exploding shell or bomb, which is the primary lethal component of a fragmentation bomb.

Synonyms

• Anti-personnel bomb: A bomb designed primarily to attack people.
• Shrapnel bomb: A less technical synonym emphasizing the fragment-producing effect. (Note: Historically, "shrapnel" refers to a specific type of projectile, but in common usage it is synonymous with fragmentation.)

Related Phrases

• Dropping fragmentation bombs: The act of deploying such bombs from an aircraft.
• Fragmentation effect: The specific damage mechanism caused by the bomb's shrapnel.

Notes

• The term is a compound noun. The explanation focuses on the complete term "fragmentation bomb." Its destructive principle is distinct from that of general-purpose "high-explosive bombs" or "bunker busters," which rely more on blast and penetration.
• Modern international humanitarian law often discusses such weapons under protocols concerning the use of weapons that may be deemed to cause excessive injury or have indiscriminate effects.

Noun

1. a bomb with only 10 to 20 per cent explosive and the remainder consisting of casings designed to break into many small high-velocity fragments; most effective against troops and vehicles