The British magazine "The Economist" said residents of Butcha Town, a suburb of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, have found thousands of small arrows in buildings and cars.
The magazine explained that this metal bullet, which is less than 3 cm in length and is known as the "arrow-shaped bullet" is a weapon known for its brutality and is not common in modern warfare, so why did Russia use it in Ukraine?
The magazine's report reveals the history of this weapon. It is also known as the dart bomb , invented in Italy in the early 20th century and was adopted by various parties in World War I. The arrow-shaped bullet used at that time was 12 cm in length, and the tail wing could stabilize the flight process towards the target. At that time, the planes dropped dozens or hundreds of shotguns loaded with arrow-shaped bombs at enemy targets, but the effect was not obvious, so they were quickly replaced by explosive bombs.
However, the United States developed a new generation of arrow bombs in a project called Lazy Dog in the 1950s, making it even more deadly.
"Lazy Dog" is a small non-guided power bomb used by the US Air Force.
The Economist report explained that the new generation of weapons is the bomb weighing 225 kilograms, which can release more than 10,000 arrow-shaped bombs after explosion. Each arrow-shaped bullet is 44 mm long and has the power and speed of a bullet. This bomb can hit 9 targets per square meter and has a huge power to kill anyone in the explosion area.
Darts dropped during World War I
Unlike other bombs, the "lazy dog" bomb does not make a loud noise except for the crackling sound of steel rain.
The United States used the cannon-fired arrow bullet in Vietnam War . They are also called honeycomb bombs due to the buzzing sound similar to the darts. There are horrifying stories about these weapons, most of which are fabricated stories of victims being found nailed to a tree trunk.
reported that the U.S. Army's research on animals shows that high-speed arrow-shaped bombs will rotate continuously when they enter the human body, causing serious damage that is disproportionate to its size and can even penetrate bones.
A image of a dart taken in 2009 from an arrow-shaped shell embedded in the walls of Gaza.
report noted that Israel used arrow bullets on Palestinian in the early 2000s. Human rights groups tried to stop Israeli troops from using arrows on targets in the occupied West Bank, but failed.
a dart photo provided by the Palestine Center for Human Rights showing arrows fired by the Israeli military in Gaza last week.
The magazine quoted Neil Gibson, an expert at Fenix Insight, a consulting firm specializing in explosives handling, saying that Butcha's arrow was fired by Russia's 122mm gun.
The newspaper said that photos taken near Bucha showed unlaunched 3sh1 bullets scattered around a destroyed 122mm cannon.
The magazine said Russia may have provided its troops in Ukraine with a limited number of arrows for defense purposes; its use may be due to logistical concerns, as Russian troops may use ammunition indistinguishable. The magazine does not rule out that Russia uses arrow bombs to intimidate Ukrainians.
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