KhAB-500 explained

The KhAB-500 is the provisional naming of a series of World War II-era aerial bombs developed by the Soviet Air Force to deliver chemical weapons.^[1]

History and Design

KhAB-500s were typically filled with yperite (R-5) or phosgene (R-10). It was 17.7inches in diameter and about 94inches long. Its loaded weight was about 650lb including roughly 375lb of chemical agent and a NaNlb impact-fused burst charge.

Upon detonation, the KhAB-500 R-10 would create a hemispherical cloud of gas with a radius of NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet). In ideal weather conditions, the phosgene cloud could produce serious medical effects up to 500m (1,600feet) downwind.

The KhAB-500 was carried by Soviet Union era aircraft.^[2]

The bomb was removed from service as a result of the Chemical Weapons Convention in the early 1990s.

See also

• KhAB-250
• KAB-500L

Notes and References

1. Book: Jones. David R. The Military Encyclopedia of Russia and Eurasia, Vol. 8. 1978 . Academic International Press. Gulf Breeze, FL. 0-87569-198-6. 161–170.
2. Book: Anthony H. Cordesman. After The Storm: The Changing Military Balance in the Middle East. 6 October 2016. Bloomsbury Publishing. 978-1-4742-9256-6. 145–.