A recently published report from our partners at Armament Research Services. Larry Friese was a contributing author for precision weapons.
Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas
The use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWPA) – particularly those weapons with potential wide-area effects – remains of significant concern to military forces, civil society, and other stakeholders. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) commissioned Armament Research Services (ARES) to produce a report examining the technical considerations relevant to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
Explosive weapons rely on the detonation of a high-explosive substance to create blast, thermal, and often fragmentation effects. The explosive weapons that raise specific concerns when used in populated areas are those having wide-area effects. Explosive weapons might affect a wide area because of the large destructive radius of an individual munition, the relative inaccuracy or imprecision of the delivery system, and/or the delivery of multiple munitions over a wide area. The categories of explosive weapons which may have wide-area effects include large bombs and missiles; indirect fire weapon systems such as artillery guns and mortars, and rockets; and multiple-barrel rocket launchers. Broadly speaking, all weapon effects are contextual, and highly dependent on how, when, and where a munition is employed. However there are technical characteristics inherent to some weapon systems which need to be understood and accounted for.
The report, titled ‘Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas: Technical considerations relevant to their use and effects’ provides an overview of the types of explosive weapons that may be prone to wide-area effects, as well as the factors and variables that determine their effects.