Get the science behind the inner workings of bombs, missiles and handheld weapons, including grenades. Learn how they work and how they are used to inflict maximum damage.
In the first reports released since North Korea announced its underground nuclear test on Monday, officials are saying they have found no evidence of a nuclear signature in the air above the blast site. See more »
A Sidewinder missile weaves through the air toward an enemy target as if it has a mind of its own -- and in a way, it does. High-tech "smart weapons" take most of the guess work out of hitting a target. Find out how Sidewinders seek and destroy.
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Smart bombs can navigate their own way to specific ground targets with startling accuracy, even in poor weather conditions. Find out how JDAMs and other smart bombs automatically find and hit their targets.
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In an international sting, U.S. authorities arrested a man attempting to smuggle a shoulder-launched surface-to-air missile into the U.S. Find out how the U.S. equivalent, the stinger, destroys air targets.
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Suicide bombings are chillingly logical. By hiding explosives on a willing carrier, individuals smuggle death into densely populated areas. But are these bombers strictly a modern phenomenon?
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In the last few years, the threat to commercial airplanes has become larger than ever. Learn how the Guardian Solution for Commercial Airplanes, created by Northrop Grumman, can defend the planes from lethal types of attacks.
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In what may prove to be the first nuclear explosion since 1998, North Korea claims it has conducted an underground test of a nuclear weapon.
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On Wednesday, the newly nuclear North Korea took its rhetoric up a notch when it threatened to attack the United States.
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Explosions can be devastating. What happens when volatile substances rapidly combust?
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Javelin missiles cost up to $80,000 each. So how does the U.S. Army afford to train its soldiers to fire them?
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Blast-resistant clothing can leave you unscathed after an explosion, but no material is entirely bombproof if you're close enough to the blast. What do bomb suits consist of, and who's wearing them on the job?
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Tune into any discussion about terrorism and nuclear security, and you're bound to hear the term "dirty bomb." Is a dirty bomb a kind of nuclear weapon for maniacs on a budget? How do you build one? And what are we supposed to do if one ever goes off?
See more »Catapult, a device that throws objects through the air. In ancient and medieval times, the catapult was a military weapon.
See more »Depth Charge, a device for sinking submarines. It consists of an explosive, usually weighing about 500 pounds (225 kg), inside a steel drum.
See more »Grenade, a small time-fuze bomb. Some are designed to be thrown by hand. The rifle grenade is launched by firing a blank cartridge in a rifle with a special adapter.
See more »Mine, in warfare, an explosive charge used as a weapon on land and at sea. It is a defensive weapon used to obstruct or delay enemy movements.
See more »Missiles and rockets are devices designed to travel in air or outer space, propelled by the force of expanding gases.
See more »Nuclear Weapons, explosive weapons that gain their explosive power from nuclear reactions.
See more »Torpedo, an underwater, self-propelled, explosive weapon that can be launched from a submarine, a surface ship, an airplane, or a helicopter.
See more »Nuclear power stands as one of humanity's greatest scientific achievements, as well as one of the greatest risk to its self-extermination. The power behind the nuclear bomb is as fascinating as it is terrifying, but what fuels its cosmic power? Fusion or fission or both? And what happens after the bomb is dropped?
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