An air burst occurs whenever an explosive device such as an anti-personnel artillery shell or a nuclear weapon is detonated in the air instead of on contact with the ground or target or a delayed armor piercing explosion.

The principle advantage of an air burst over a ground burst is that the energy from the explosion (as well as any shrapnel) is distributed more evenly over a wider area, however the peak energy is lower.

History

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Air burst artillery has a long history. The "bombs bursting in air" cited in the United States national anthem were not a new concept when they were viewed by Francis Scott Key. The shrapnel shell, invented by Henry Shrapnel of the British army in about 1780, was widely used by the time of the War of 1812 and stayed in use until it was superceded during the First World War. The original shell was a hollow sphere filled with musket balls and a charge of gun powder. A burning fuse caused the charge to explode, bursting the shell and spraying the enemy with lead musket balls. The shell was subsequently improved and made in the cylindrical, pointed shape of normal artillery shells. Mechanical and chemical time fuses caused the detonation of the powder charge which launched the musket balls out the front of the cylindrical shell. Shrapnel shells have had various names including spherical case shot, the original name. The name shrapnel was a nickname given to the shell to honour the inventor. The common use of the term "shrapnel" to describe modern artillery shells is technically not correct. Modern shells produce fragments and splinters, not shrapnel.

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Intense bed-confining plummet in temperature today. Going to make a run for a hoodie and pint of scalding tea.
airburst (Aaron Bell) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:04:22 -0000
Intense bed-confining plummet in temperature today. Going to make a run for a hoodie and pint of scalding tea.
The IMDB app for iPhone is 100% more fun than the creaking old website, a great job.
airburst (Aaron Bell) Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:26:49 -0000
The IMDB app for iPhone is 100% more fun than the creaking old website, a great job.
New blog post: Don't Panic! http://aaronbell.org/journal/2009/12/dont-panic/
airburst (Aaron Bell) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:58:57 -0000
New blog post: Don't Panic! http://aaronbell.org/journal/2009/12/dont-panic/
Mini Squadron: 92% completed. I AM THE MASTER IN MY WORLD OF AERIAL COMBAT
airburst (Aaron Bell) Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:39:27 -0000
Mini Squadron: 92% completed. I AM THE MASTER IN MY WORLD OF AERIAL COMBAT
In Grand Hyatt hotel for an Apache conference and it is COLD as BALLS. Possibly even colder.
airburst (Aaron Bell) Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:34:01 -0000
In Grand Hyatt hotel for an Apache conference and it is COLD as BALLS. Possibly even colder.
Mini Squadron tip: to unlock planes, score highly. Your multiplier (2x, 3x etc) is reset whenever you get damaged! So good evasion is key.
airburst (Aaron Bell) Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:12:22 -0000
Mini Squadron tip: to unlock planes, score highly. Your multiplier (2x, 3x etc) is reset whenever you get damaged! So good evasion is key.

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