Insanely Powerful Military Weapons In Action

Nothing makes an army more formidable than the firepower it’s packing! Whether it’s weapons designed to defend, munitions capable of bringing down buildings, or nukes that can wipe entire cities maybe even countries off the map. Let's explore some of the most powerful weapons ever used by military forces in action!

TOS-1A

There are few weapons out there that are as iconic as the TOS-1A, and even fewer that are as powerful. First developed by the Soviet Union back in 1988, those scary looking machines are classed as Heavy Flamethrower Systems, designed to provide close support for infantry and tanks as they advance in combat. But the BM-1 launcher attached onto the chassis there means it’s really a god-tier rocket launcher that’s capable of firing up to 24 thermobaric warheads.

©Kirill Borisenko via Wikimedia Commons

Sometimes called aerosol bombs or somewhat terrifyingly vacuum bombs, thermobaric weapons like those consist of two charges: the first detonates a container of fuel which bursts into a cloud, and then a second charge ignites that cloud, which burns all the fuel in a gigantic fireball, creating earth-shattering shockwaves, and produces a vacuum that sucks up all the surrounding oxygen. If that sounds crazy, seeing those things in action is something else.

The BM-1 launchers themselves sit on a battle tank chassis, so operators are able to move the vehicle into position, and then fire the rockets to a maximum range of about 2000 ft, all within 90 seconds. That’s scarily fast, though I’ll bet not as scary as seeing 20 TOS-1A’s ready to launch on the horizon!

ProFense M134 Minigun

If America's good at making one thing, it's guns! One standout example is the ProFense M134 Minigun, the original M134 of which was invented back in 1960. That bad boy is an automatic rotary cannon, meaning it boasts several barrels that spin around,, allowing it to fire shots continuously.

©Tekogi via Wikimedia Commons

Don’t let the name fool you; that minigun is anything but mini. That thing is equipped with 6 barrels and measures 31.6 inches long! While it’s based on an older gatling gun design that required a hand crank, but designers replaced that crank with an electric motor, bringing the weapon into the twenty first century.

When operated by a crew it weighs around 66 pounds, but 56.9 pounds when mounted in a fixed position. The ProFense can fire 3,000 rounds per minute, that’s 50 rounds a second! To put that into context, the standard M16 combat rifle only shoots about 13 rounds a second in automatic mode. Precision Remotes also went one step further in modernizing the weapon, by making it fully autonomous, enabling it to aim and fire at targets completely by remote control.

Uran-9 Combat Robot

Forget about seeing war machines in sci-fi films; robots are ploughing through our battlefields right now! In 2016, the Russian military unveiled the ultimate unmanned tank the Uran-9.

Combat multifunctional robotic complex Uran-9, Uran 9

©Vitaly V. Kuzmin via Wikimedia Commons

That robot measures nearly 17 feet long, is around 8 feet high, and weighs in at 11 tons about the same as 6 cars! That tank can be manually controlled by just one operator but he’s not in the tank! He’s remotely controlling that massive machine from a maximum distance of 1.8 miles away, meaning that tank can go places men simply can’t.

While it’s designed to be agile, its size costs it its speed with it not even reaching 22 miles per hour, barely half the speed of an average 50-ton tank! But what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in power. That machine aids military teams in cities by providing remote reconnaissance and delivering heavy firepower when needed. With four anti-tank guided missile launchers two on each side that tank can take down targets from as far as 3.7 miles away and penetrate armor up to 31 inches thick.

Uran 9 can penetrate armor up to 31 inches thick

It also carries a 30 mm 2A72 automatic cannon for low flying arial targets, a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun for ground targets, and 6 rocket propelled flamethrowers three on each side of the turret. That is basically an entire remote-controlled arsenal! Like tanks weren’t terrifying enough already.

Spike LR2 Anti-Tank Weapon

Knowing how tough tanks can be, you need some heavy hitting munitions to take them out. Meet the Spike LR2, an anti-tank guided missile system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, specifically designed for infantry operations.

©Reise Reise via Wikimedia Commons

The LR2 is the fifth generation in the Spike family line, with a ground launcher weight of just 26 ½ lbs, making it easy for soldiers to carry along with two corresponding missiles each weighing 28 lbs. Each missile can carry up to 4 warheads and are immune to GPS jamming, which are small high-powered radio frequencies that interfere with communication devices.

The Spike is classed as a fire and forget missile, allowing infantry soldiers on the battlefield to engage armored targets from distances of up to 3.4 miles away, that’s like firing from the bottom of Kilimanjaro and hitting just shy of its peak! But instead of firing at mountains, soldiers armed with LR2’s more often aim at hidden tanks, as the system allows the missile to change trajectory to attack concealed targets that weren’t initially in line of sight when the missile was launched! If that weren’t impressive enough, the success of the weapon has led to its use in 34 nations, with over 3,000 sold.

BM-30 Smerch

Hailing from the Soviet Union, the BM-30 Smerch an 8 by 8 rocket launcher first produced back in 1987. Its name actually means tornado in Russian, and that artillery system does bring the storm.

©Digr via Wikimedia Commons

In combat mode, it weighs just over 48 tons, stretches 39 feet long, and reaches over 10 feet tall. Its incredible size keeps it to a maximum speed of 37 miles per hour, though being quick isn’t its top priority; blowing things up is its top priority! Sporting a launch tube cluster for 12 rockets, the Smerch can unleash a volley of all 12 artillery rockets in just 38 seconds.

The longest-range rockets known as Vilkha Ms have a maximum range of 80 miles. The Smerch can take on enemies from so far away, it doesn’t even need protective armor. Reloading all those rockets takes about 20 minutes, which is pretty standard for multiple rocket launchers especially considering each rocket weighs around 1,760 lbs.

Tsar Bomba

You might have seen Oppenheimer in the cinema, but what do you know about the hydrogen bomb? That is a bomb that detonates by combining hydrogen atoms to make helium in a process called nuclear fusion. That creates a chain reaction that releases huge amounts of energy, making the explosion insanely powerful. The emperor of H-bombs is the Soviet made RDS-220, also known as Ivan or The Tsar Bomba, set off by the Soviet Union on October 30, 1961, over Mityushikha Bay Nuclear Testing Range in the Arctic Circle.

©Croquant via Wikimedia Commons

That bomb was a beast, weighing almost 30 tons, measuring 26 feet long and nearly 7 feet wide. But its size was nothing compared to the bang it made! When it was dropped from a height of 30,000 feet, it came down slowly with a parachute, giving the drop plane just enough time to get out of the blast radius. When it was detonated, a fireball expanded to almost 6 miles across, big enough to swallow up San Francisco!

In just ten minutes, the mushroom cloud from the resulting explosion shot up to a height of 42 miles, with the blast yielding 50 megatons. To give you an idea, a 1 megaton bomb has the force of a million tons of TNT and can wipe out just about everything within 80 square miles.

Compared to other well-known nuclear bombs from history, the Tsar Bomba was about 1,570 times stronger than the nukes dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. As of today, it still remains the most powerful nuclear bomb ever created.

Phalanx CIWS

For all their firepower, every military force relies on one last line of defense and there’s probably none more fearsome than the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System. That radar-guided defensive weapon set up is used primarily to protect naval vessels against aircraft, missiles, and naval threats that have pierced all other lines of defense. It consists of a pneumatic M61A1 20 mm Gatlin gun fixed to an electric swiveling base. That system is capable of firing up to 4,500 rounds per minute.

That’s so fast that it’s hard to see it happening, but simulations using special tracer ammunition show roughly what that munition trajectory looks like. And boy would I not want to be in a plane anywhere near those things especially near a ship with multiple Phalanx systems on board!

To make it even more metal, the Phalanx CIWS has a muzzle velocity close to 3,650 ft per second, making its firing speed over three times the speed of sound. If that wasn’t enough, the Phalanx can be made completely autonomous. That means it’s capable of searching, detection, evaluation and assessing whether or not to kill the target, all on its own, and in a matter of seconds.

PANTSIR-S1

We’re back in Russia now for another missile defense system: the Pantsir-S1. The self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and missile system was developed by the KBP Instrument Design Bureau in 1989, finally making its debut in 2003. The system boasts anti-aircraft 57E6 missiles and 30 mm cannons, capable of engaging 4 targets at once.

That firepower is primarily aimed at enemy helicopters trying to dodge radar detection. Using its solid-state radar or thermal imaging sensors, that warmonger can track up to 20 tactical aircraft-sized targets at a range of up to 22 ½ miles.

While the S1 is no doubt impressive, it isn’t the only one in the Pantsir family, with the most recent addition being the Pantsir-SA, which first appeared in a public parade in 2017. Those SAs are specially designed for Arctic conditions, complete with 18 ready to launch 57E6 missiles to fire at enemy aircraft.

©The Presidential Press and Information Office via Wikimedia Commons

Archer Artillery System

You might think of Sweden as a pretty chill nation, but that’s probably because you haven’t seen what they’ve got in their arsenal. Introducing the Archer Artillery System, developed by BAE systems, and designed for high strategic, operational and tactical mobility.

©Stridsvagn122 via Wikimedia Commons

Mounted on an 8 by 8 RMMV truck, the fully automated 155mm gun howitzer and weapon station mounted on that chassis can travel at speeds up to 56 mph. With a full 3-man crew, that thing can rock up, fire a gigantic 56 caliber projectile to a maximum range of 31 miles, and then be on the move again in under 20 seconds.

What’s more, that system is capable of firing 7 rounds per minute, which currently makes it the fastest firing artillery system of its caliber! But it doesn’t just fire big munitions. It’s compatible with the M982 Excalibur, an advanced precision artillery shell with a range in excess of 31 miles, and BONUS sensor-fused munitions, specially designed to decimate all manner of combat vehicles within a 21-mile radius.

RS-28 Sarmat

Every day, it feels like the end of the world is creeping closer and closer. With the unveiling of the RS-28 Sarmat missile in 2021, Armageddon could be just around the corner! That Russian doomsday device measures 116 feet in length, with a diameter of 10 feet, and can carry a payload of up to 15 nuclear warheads, making its total weight over 240 tons.

The Sarmat currently boasts the longest range of any missile on the entire planet, capable of reaching over 11,000 miles and, depending on where it’s fired from, striking nearly any target on Earth. Some Russian politicians claim that if launched from the city of Kaliningrad, Sarmat could reach America in just 200 seconds and obliterate an area the size of Texas! But the shortest distance between Kaliningrad and any major American city is about 4,150 miles.

So that thing would need to be capable at travelling 10 times faster than the fastest known missile the KH-47M2. No wonder some institutions, such as British Intelligence, suspect that Russia is just hyping it up for the fear factor. Hopefully they're right! That checkered challenger has also earnt the nickname Satan II, because that's not scary at all. The missile completed its first test flight in 2022 and entered combat service in 2023!

Metal Storm

At this point, we’ve learned about weapons that can fire thousands of rounds a minute but what about one that could fire over a million per minute? Say hello to Metal Storm technology. Unveiled back in 1997, that company developed a volley gun consisting of 36 barrels. The prototype gun demonstrated that Metal Storm technology could achieve a maximum fire rate of an utterly insane 1.62 million rounds per minute.

In that configuration, it could fire a literal wall of 24,000 9mm rounds at more than 3,800 mph, which would destroy just about anything in their path. But how is it even possible? It works by stacking multiple projectiles nose to tail in each barrel, which are then electronically and individually triggered in rapid succession. That means they fire in waves, delivering maximum damage without knocking into one another.

In 2007, the US Navy announced it’d purchased some Metal Storm tech, but it was never used in action as its applications were very circumstantial. In theory it sounds genius, but without any tracking capabilities, ambush subjects would simply need to step aside to avoid being turned into a fine mist and then that’s 1.62 million bullets you’re never getting back. Unable to secure many contracts, Metal Storm went into administration back in 2012.

LaWS - Laser Weapon System

Laser weapons in movies seem like a thing of pure science fiction, but did you know they're actually being used in real battles right now? Contrary to the movies, lasers don’t explode when they hit a target. Instead, they deliver a beam of super intense heat which can be used as a formidable weapon.

In December 2014, AN/SEQ-3 laser weapons systems were installed on the US Navy’s USS Ponce, making it the first ship to use a high-powered laser as a standard weapon. The 33-kilowatt Laser Weapon system, also known as LaWS, successfully zapped small rocket warheads mounted on speeding boats using concentrated infrared beams from the laser.

Those beams travel at the incredible speed of 186,000 miles per second that's as fast as light itself! Targets are hit instantly, with precise accuracy. If that weren’t good enough, the system doesn’t break the bank. LaWS is fueled by electricity, supplied by its own small generator, and operated by a crew of three. All in all, each shot costs less than a dollar!

But there’s a catch: current Rules of Engagement only allow LaWS to zap non-human targets to avoid blinding people. So, for now, its targets are limited to unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned boats. Now, China has claimed its own Laser Weapon System, called Silent Hunter, is more than double the power of LaWS at some 70 kilowatts, apparently allowing it to cut through light armor from over half a mile away except, there’s no footage of that in action.

DroneDefender

In ongoing conflicts, we're increasingly seeing more drones swarming the battlefields. Those unmanned aircraft are used by the military for everything, from espionage to launching pinpoint attacks. From drones tiny enough to fit in our palms to some as large as a horse, drone warfare is likely to be the future of combat.

So, if you haven’t got a laser weapons system to save you, what could divisions like infantry possibly use to tackle that problem? How about the DroneDefender? Brought to us by American manufacturer Dedrone, the DroneDefender jams most frequencies in which virtually all drones operate. Weighing in at 15 lbs, the device is lightweight and portable for soldiers to carry around and can be used for up to 2 hours.

When a UAS that’s stands for Unmanned Aircraft System threat is spotted, the user aims their DroneDefender at it from up to 1.2 miles away. Once the trigger is pulled, it immediately breaks the communication link from the pilot to the UAS. As a result, the drone enters its pre-programmed safety mode, gently flying to the ground or returning to its take-off point, neutralizing the danger. Sometimes the most powerful defense is a good offence and a little signal interference.

MOAB - Mother Of All Bombs

In 2003, the Iraq War began, and the USA was developing new weapons to aid their fight. One such creation was the GPS-guided munition, the MOAB, short for Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon, designed to tackle large enemy forces or breach bunkers. Though it didn’t see action until the war in Afghanistan in 2017, where it quickly became known as the Mother of All Bombs, and you can see why in the footage below.

That bomb is a behemoth; it’s 30 ft long and weighs about 11 tons. Inside, it holds 18,700 lbs of H-6 explosive. The MOAB contains the highest amount of explosive among non-nuclear weapons in the US arsenal, although some heavier weapons exist, they have less explosive content because their casings are designed to smash through targets. Upon impact, it unleashes a devastating blast radius, spanning up to a mile in all directions.

That is partly thanks to its thin aluminum casing, which maximizes the explosive force. But the MOAB's impact extends beyond physical destruction; its awe-inspiring size and mushroom cloud blast are deliberately crafted to instill shock and awe, designed to shatter enemy morale.

AK-630

Let’s go back to 1963, to the time of the Soviet Union, and meet the AK-630, an autocannon gun that rapidly fires large-caliber shells that pierce armor and make things go boom! A fully loaded AK-630 turret weighs in at just over 10 tons and boasts a barrel length of 5.3 feet. The gun in question can unleash 5,000 rounds per minute that’s 83 rounds a second.

The guns are directed by a self-defense system, known by the catchy name of A-213-Vympel-A. That system includes gun, radar, optical, and TV control systems, all working automatically without needing human supervision. If any enemy planes come too close, that system has a range of up to 4,400 yards for aerial targets and up to 5,000 yards for surface targets.

The success of the original AK-630 led to an upgrade in 1979 to the AK-630M, before getting another upgrade into the AK-630M1-2 "duet" in 1983. Now, if you thought the original AK was heavy, that upgraded one weighs just over 13 tons when fully loaded that's the same as about 30 grand pianos! Unlike its predecessors, the duet can fire 10,000 rounds per minute.

Bastion P

Ever found yourself stuck in traffic and wished you could blow that jam away? What you need is the Bastion P! We’re back to Russia once again for the missile system in the footage below, first introduced in 2010. While known as Stooge in the West, in Russia, the P in Bastion stands for perevozniy, which means mobile or transportable.

The Bastion weighs 45 tons, measuring 42 ft long and 11.8 ft tall. Those were constructed in an attempt to defend Russia’s massive coastline, carrying two P-800 Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles, each measuring over 28 ft long and weighing about 3 and a half tons! The Stooge fires at enemy ships with a range of 186.4 miles with a hi-low flight trajectory, and 74.5 miles with a low flight trajectory.

Those are fire and forget type missiles, meaning they don’t need supervision after launch. The system relies on satellite guidance during the start of the flight and switches to active radar guidance as it nears the target, hitting the enemy with a high explosive or semi-armor piercing warhead that can weigh up to 550lbs.

S-400 Triumf

Back in 2017, the country of Turkey splurged a whopping $2.5 billion to acquire an anti-missile system from Russia. What kind of weapon could command such a price tag? It's none other than the S-400 Triumf air-defence system, first unveiled back in 2007 for the First Air Defense Corps.

That formidable machine is a revamped version of the S-300, which first appeared in 1978. The Triumf is one heck of an upgrade, with its multi-purpose system complete with radar detectors that track and intercept stealth aircraft, and most importantly, missiles that shoot down enemy aircraft.

It’s compatible with four types of interceptor missiles, each capable of reaching different distances, ranging from over a terrific 246 miles to just 25. Its most trusty tool is the 48N6 missile, along with its 315 lb explosive warhead. Those missiles can hit aircraft up to 155 miles away and stop ballistic missiles within a 37-mile area. If the S-400 wasn’t scary enough, the newest iteration the S-500 entered production in 2021!

That goliath is able to take down hypersonic weapons, those are typically missiles that travel at Mach 5, which is 5 times the speed of sound! And threatens to be even deadlier than its previous incarnation. However, while the S-500 sounds intimidating, its debut is uncertain. Russia initially pushed it’s debut back from 2014 to 2021, and now it’s expected in 2025!

M102 Howitzer

When it comes to guns, bigger is nearly always better. The largest gun ever mounted on a warplane can be found on an American gunship: the AC-130W Stinger II. The main weapon onboard is a M102 howitzer, the largest gun attached to any gunship in the world; capable of unleashing up to 10 gigantic 105mm shells, each weighing 33 lbs, in just 1 minute.

The M102 is an older style of gun that was first put into service in 1966 and originally designed for ground use. That mighty weapon weighs over 1.5 tons, and spans around 17 feet in length. When fired, it recoils with the gargantuan force of 24,000 lbs meaning it requires a separate heavy-duty recoil system, and can only be installed on larger planes that won’t be thrown off their flight path when that thing is fired.

Fortunately, the Stinger is a transport behemoth, measuring 97 feet in length, with a wingspan of 132 feet, and weighing 155,000 pounds, providing ample space for the M102 to fire its giant munitions! If you were amazed at these insanely powerful military weapons you might want to read about futuristic military tech. Thanks for reading!