Reply #94: It Was Different [View All]

[ProfessorGAC]

And, the bomb was brought ONTO the plane, fully assembled. The explosive was NOT synthesized on the plane, and was not assembled there.

In addition, the yield of that explosive was about 30% (at best) of what it could have been, meaning that even under lab conditions, the explosive they made was of very poor quality. The conversions were poor and the unreacted raw materials, and partial reaction products contain far lower energy per unit mass.

Last point: These types of binary explosives are designed to be a low brissance tool, typically used in extremely contained spaces, like piling holes, or quarry face detonations. They do not create broad pressure waves in open spaces, and compared to a hole drilled into rock, a jetliner is a broad, open space.
The Professor