American pilots will be able to independently determine what damage their attack will cause. Yesterday, August 20, the press service of the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced the completion of the development of bombs within the framework of the Dialable Effects Munition program.
The first DEM (Dialable Effects Munition) type of ammunition was a 2,000 lb (907 kg) bomb. During the last tests, the F-16 pilot carried out several drops of the same type of projectiles, having previously adjusted their power and the moment of detonation.
Detonating a DEM bomb
Image source: afrl.af.mil
The AFRL indicates that the pilots will be able to independently adjust the ammunition according to several parameters: the force of the explosion, the speed and radius of the fragments, as well as the moment of detonation. Thus, aviation will be able to perform a larger type of tasks using a single projectile.
For the first time, the development of customizable bombs became known in 2018. According to the director of the ammunition division of the US Air Force Research Laboratory, Harry Haase, the new bombs will be able to "hit both a specific person at a crowded table, being dropped in the form of a huge bullet, and destroy the entire enemy camp with an explosion."
Earlier, a similar development was presented in Germany.