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Flashbombs are loaded into a photo-reconnaissance Melsbroek, Belgium. c.1944">Melsbroek_Air_Base.html" ;"title="De Havilland Mosquito at Melsbroek Air Base">Melsbroek, Belgium. c.1944
A photoflash bomb, or flash bomb, is explosive ordnance dropped by aircraft, usually military surveillance aircraft">bomb">explosive ordnance dropped by aircraft, usually military surveillance aircraft, designed to detonate Air burst">above ground to create an extremely bright flash of light. These bombs, which are capable of producing light at an intensity of up to hundreds of millions of candlepower, assist surveillance aircraft in taking nighttime Aerial photographic reconnaissance, aerial photos without the need to fly low to the ground which would make them vulnerable to possible enemy detection. Due to the advent of better nighttime optics,
Pyrotechnics and Miscellaneous Explosive Items, US Navy Ordnance Pamphlet 2213
Pages 96-107
Mulvaney's Ordnance Technical Information System (MOTIS) Ordnance Technical Data Sheet; M122
{{commonscat, Photoflash bombs Bombs Photographic techniques War photography History of photography
A photoflash bomb, or flash bomb, is explosive ordnance dropped by aircraft, usually military surveillance aircraft">bomb">explosive ordnance dropped by aircraft, usually military surveillance aircraft, designed to detonate Air burst">above ground to create an extremely bright flash of light. These bombs, which are capable of producing light at an intensity of up to hundreds of millions of candlepower, assist surveillance aircraft in taking nighttime Aerial photographic reconnaissance, aerial photos without the need to fly low to the ground which would make them vulnerable to possible enemy detection. Due to the advent of better nighttime optics, satellite imagery
Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...
, and stealth aircraft
Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 Ni ...
, these bombs are no longer used by the military.
Construction
There were several models of photoflash bombs, but most had a similar construction and makeup. For example, the M23A1 was constructed of a cardboard tube, capped on both ends with metal "plugs." The tube was then filled with aflash powder
Flash powder is a pyrotechnic composition, a mixture of an oxidizer and a metallic fuel, which burns quickly (deflagrates) and produces a loud noise, regardless of confinement in some formulations. It is widely used in theatrical and display pyro ...
"charge" and a fuse. The fuse would be attached to the hanging wire using a standard friction wire, which would ignite the flash powder after a specified delay. In this specific model of ordnance, the flash would last approximately 1/5th of a second after detonation.
Recent events
On 19 July 2015, a World War II-era M122 () photoflash bomb washed ashore atSt. Pete Beach
St. Pete Beach (formerly known as St. Petersburg Beach until 1994) is a coastal city in Pinellas County, Florida. Known as a tourist destination, St. Pete Beach was formed from the towns of Pass-a-Grille, Belle Vista, St. Petersburg Beach, and un ...
, Florida, USA. This led authorities to evacuate the beach and several nearby homes. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fu ...
team from MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
responded to the scene and detonated the device.
See also
*Flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala, bengalo in several European countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illuminatio ...
References
External links
Pyrotechnics and Miscellaneous Explosive Items, US Navy Ordnance Pamphlet 2213
Pages 96-107
Mulvaney's Ordnance Technical Information System (MOTIS) Ordnance Technical Data Sheet; M122
{{commonscat, Photoflash bombs Bombs Photographic techniques War photography History of photography