YOLO
| "Yonderian Lancer Odinance" (YOLO) | |
|---|---|
 AT-D-10 in testing | |
| Type | Thermobaric bomb |
| Place of origin |  Yonderre |
| Service history | |
| Used by |  Yonderian Defence Force Royal Air Force |
| Wars | Final War of the Deluge |
| Production history | |
| Designer | AMY |
| Produced | 2010-present |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 7,100 kg (15,650 lb) |
| Filling | High explosive and fine aluminum powder and ethylene oxide mix. |
| Blast yield | 44 tons TNT / 80,000 Ibs |
The Arme Thermobarique - Delta 10 (AT-D-10), nicknamed Yonderian Lancer Ordinance (YOLO) and sometimes Delta 10, is a Yonderian thermobaric smart munition developed by AMY. The YOLO is widely considered by experts to be the most powerful conventional (non-nuclear) weapon in the world. Although designated an "Extreme Tactical Weapon" (Arme tactique extrême) in official Yonderian terminology, experts and commentators agree that the YOLO is more akin to a strategic weapon. The YOLO's capabilities are comparable to nuclear weapons, but unlike nuclear weapons known for their radioactive fallout, use of the weapon does not damage or pollute the environment beyond the initial blast radius.
The YOLO can be deployed either by combat aircraft or from mobile ground transports using additional rocket boosters for propulsion. The YOLO can be guided onto target via laser designation, satellite navigation systems or infrared homing devices. It was first field tested in 2010 on the YDF's proving grounds outside Toubourg, Amarre as part of pre-adoption testing. Serial production began in 2010, with the first ground battery delivered to the Yonderian Defence Force in early 2011. Beginning in 2016, the Urcean Royal Air Force began taking deliveries of YOLOs.
Description and analysis
A YOLO yields the equivalent of 44 tons of TNT using seven tons of a thermobaric high explosive mixture. Because of this, the bomb's blast and pressure wave have a similar effect to a small tactical nuclear weapon. The bomb works by detonating in mid-air, afterwhich most damage is inflicted by a supersonic shockwave and extremely high temperatures. Thermobaric weapons differ from conventional explosive weapons in that they generate a longer, more sustained blast wave with greater temperatures. In doing so, they produce more damage over a larger area than a conventional weapon of similar mass. A leaked test report from the YDF's first testing of the weapon remarked that the YOLO's effect was "Spectacular".
Michael Romero, an editor for the military analysis service Swan's Information Group, told Jones' Defence it was likely that YOLO indeed represented the world's biggest non-nuclear bomb, adding that "[y]ou can argue about the numbers and how you scale this but the Yonderians have a long and proven history of developing weapons in the thermobaric class". In light of similar statements from other experts, this prompted debate in the Yonderian Parliament as to why the Yonderian Defence Force had been developing such weapons of mass destruction, with particularly the Workers' Party decrying the YOLO as a threat to world peace.
Methods of delivery
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The YOLO can be delivered either by air or as a surface-fired munition by mobile ground transports using rocket boosters. Because of Yonderre's commitment not to operate heavy bombers, the only aircraft of the Army of the Air capable of delivering a YOLO is the FS-14 fighter-bomber, on which the YOLO is carried immediately under the fuselage and only provided the aircraft is not carrying any other ordinance. In the ground-role, the YOLO is fitted with additional liquid fuel rocket boosters for propulsion. The YOLO with rocket assembly is carried on specialized heavy duty AMG trucks.
Operational history
During the Final War of the Deluge aircraft from the Urcean Royal Air Force dropped three YOLOs on Mount Sekot and the monastery at the foot of it as part of its military campaign in the region. Known as Operation Ascendant Justice, the bombing run left the monastery in ruins and partially burried in rubble from the mountain itself, with bomb damage assessment ascertaining almost total destruction of the site.
Operators
- Yonderre - in service with the Yonderian Defence Force in both ground role and as an air guided munition.
Urcea - in service with the Royal Air Force.