Final Photograph

[Gargamel]

A US Army photo journalist was on a training mission, with an Afghan phot journalist she was training, and apparently a couple of Afghan soildiers as part of a mortar team It appears they both were trying to get a pic of when the mortar was launched, except that it exploded in the tube instead, killing all four. The photo's each took were both recovered, and released this week by the US army, with the families permission.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39798988






These are amazing photos, strictly from a technical view. But the reality of what happened to these four soldiers is sobering.

[eddie]

Sad to think this is the last photo's their families will see of them.

[Schroeder]

I don't get it. I thought mortars have a minimum flight time and acceleration force needed before even arming? How can that go off in the tube then?

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by eddie

Sad to think this is the last photo's their families will see of them.

True that

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I don't get it. I thought mortars have a minimum flight time and acceleration force needed before even arming? How can that go off in the tube then?

Hence the catastrophic fault/event.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Schroeder

I don't get it. I thought mortars have a minimum flight time and acceleration force needed before even arming? How can that go off in the tube then?

Correct, but incomplete

For the mortar's fusing to initiate the booster, you are correct, there needs to be a specific amount of movement before the fuse is armed.

However, in this instance, the fuse was not what initiated the booster. From the imagery, it is not clear that the mortar body actually exploded in the usual manner. What may have happened is that gun tube exploded because of the propellant not being able to be vented. This can happen if the mortar projectile itself becomes stuck in the tube.

This can also happen if too much propellant or damaged propellant is used.

The propellant burns, the gases expand, and having no way to vent through the top of the gun tube, as usual, there is a mechanical explosion with lots of heat, lots of pressure, and lots of fragments. This mechanical explosion can, but rarely does, cause a propagation into the more sensitive booster charge inside the mortar projectile itself.

Once that goes, the explosive main charge will function as designed.

This may have been, unfortunately, one of those times where propagation occurred.

Military actions, even in training, can be hazardous.

[Schroeder]

Thanks Platapus.

[Aktungbby]

...in looking up why Gargamel has been scarce of late, (I'll PM him later)I came across this thread of his...and can only reflect upon the old expression: "hoist with his own petard!"...from Shakespeare's Hamlet.