The Krakatoa Antitank Weapon (+pdf)

The Krakatoa Antitank Weapon (+pdf)

Krakatoa is a modular explosive device used for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) or demolitions
developed by the British company Alford Technologies. The device is designed to fire a number of
different projectiles, operates both in air and underwater, and can be used in a vertical or horizontal
orientation.

The device was featured during the second season of Discovery Channel's television series Future
Weapons, in which it was shown penetrating an inch of steel plate at 25 yards. The device's casing is made
of plastic which is packed with plastique (C4) and capped with an inverted copper cone.

The device itself is "no bigger than a coke can."

It is named after the famous 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which resulted in the loudest sound ever heard and
was the second deadliest volcanic eruption in recorded history.

Uses

This explosive device was designed to play a role in covert operations, as a small but extremely powerful
device that can disable tanks, vehicles, or even a warship. The device can be used underwater, at high
altitudes, and in snow, hail, sleet, or any form of weather.

The copper plate at the end of the weapon is the difference between regular C4 and an anti-vehicle device.
When detonated, it becomes a huge melted copper bullet, which can pierce certain thicknesses of steel
armor.

Characteristics and use

The weapon looks like a small circular tube, no wider than a tea-cup plate and no taller than a soft-drink
can. On one end, it is covered with plastic, but the other end houses the copper plate. Inside the actual
device is C4, and this is used to form the copper into a explosivly formed penetrator and turn it into a
weapon. So far unused in war, it is tested standing on a small pair of bipod legs, and the copper plate is
faced toward the target. It is used from about 25 yards away.

For a special ops team, the weapon will already have the C4 placed inside, about two pounds of it, and
being a versatile explosive, the weapon will not set off in any condition. One uses it by placing it on the
stand, moving far away from it and then pressing the detonator. The whole weapon itself explodes, so it is
not a handheld weapon or a device to stand near when operating or firing.