EOD destroys Russian bomb

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Jennifer Redente
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  Airmen destroyed a large Russian bomb here March 30.

A 1,100-pound Russian penetrating bomb containing 167 pounds of explosives was recently found 200 feet from the runway by workers clearing mines around the airfield.

“We blow UXOs in place when it is the safest option for the explosive ordnance disposal team,” said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Roads, a 755th Expeditionary Mission Support Group explosive ordnance disposal craftsman.

“Due to the location of the Russian UXO, we took protective measures like … trenching and dirt-mounding to safeguard the runway from being damaged,” said Senior Airman Cory Ahlf, a group EOD journeyman.

The EOD Airmen used C-4 high explosives to blow up the bomb. Fragments were found 800 feet from the point of detonation.

The bomb was a remnant of the Afghan-Soviet War, which took place between 1979 and 1989.