Top 20 Most DESTRUCTIVE Weapons Ever Created

The flamethrower, a fearsome weapon, traces its roots back to ancient Greece, where it was used in the form of "Greek fire" bombs. Modern flamethrowers were developed early in the 20th century and German troops deployed the Flammenwerfer in 1915. These early designs evolved significantly by World War II, when this horrifying weapon became a staple on both sides of the war. Flamethrowers project a stream of flammable liquid, igniting targets over shocking distances. Their destructive power lies in their ability to clear trenches, bunkers, and fortified positions, instilling fear and causing devastating burns. Despite their efficacy, ethical and practical concerns have all but removed flamethrowers from the modern battlefield.

Cavalry was a quintessential piece of warfare all the way through the 20th century. Shock cavalry - heavily armored troops mounted on powerful horses - were a centerpiece of ancient and medieval combat. Originating with the Persian cataphracts and Macedonian companions, these units reached their apex in medieval Europe with knights in full plate armor. Shock cavalry's destructive power stemmed from their ability to deliver devastating charges, breaking enemy lines through sheer concussive force. Lances, swords, and mass momentum easily crushed infantry formations and scattered opposing cavalry. The psychological impact of a cavalry charge often annihilated enemy morale. It wasn’t until the advent of gunpowder that heavy cavalry began to decline.

The history of submarines in warfare dates all the way back to the American Revolutionary War. The Turtle was a one-man pumpkin-shaped submersible used to attach bombs to enemy ships. Widespread use of combat subs first began during World War I. Germany’s U-boats showcased their destructive power by disrupting Allied shipping lines. World War II saw submarines playing a crucial role, particularly in the Pacific Theater, where U.S. submarines decimated Japanese merchant fleets. Their ability to stealthily approach and launch torpedoes made them highly effective in sinking vessels. The Cold War era further advanced submarine technology, introducing nuclear-powered submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles. Today, submarines are a pivotal part of the ‘nuclear triad.’ A single submarine armed with nuclear weapons could devastate millions.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles - or ICBMs - were developed for World War II but became prevalent during the Cold War. They became a cornerstone of the ‘mutually assured destruction’ detente between superpowers. The Soviet Union successfully launched the first official ICBM, the R-7 Semyorka, in 1957. The United States soon followed with its own ICBMs: the Atlas and Minuteman missiles. Today, the U.S. Minuteman III missiles are designed to deliver nuclear warheads over vast distances. Most modern ICBMs have ranges up to around 18,000 miles, and are able to cross a continent in minutes instead of hours. Their destructive power is unparalleled, capable of annihilating entire cities and causing catastrophic loss of life and infrastructure.

The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), also known as the "Mother of All Bombs," was developed by the United States in 2003. It represents the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. The MOAB, colloquially known as a ‘bunker buster,’ was designed to penetrate and destroy deeply buried targets and large surface areas. Its destructive power is thanks to its massive size. Weighing in at over 22,000 pounds, the MOAB has a tremendous explosive yield. The bomb detonates above ground, creating a shockwave that obliterates everything within its blast radius. It took 14 years for the U.S. to deploy the MOAB in combat, used against an ISIS tunnel complex in Afghanistan.

In the history of the world, there were many game-changing technologies that would change the face of warfare. Few, perhaps, were as consequential as the Maxim machine gun - the first fully automatic gun ever invented. Invented in 1884, the Maxim uses the energy of each bullet's recoil to eject the spent cartridge and insert the next. It was used to devastating and widespread effect during World War I. In the First Battle of the Somme, for example, French and British forces suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties - many caused by German machine gun nests. More than 19,000 British soldiers lost their lives on the first day of the battle. The machine gun's ability to unleash continuous, rapid-fire volleys fundamentally altered military tactics forever.

Surface-to-air missiles were initially developed during World War II by the Nazis, who never had the chance to fully deploy them. Their potential was fully realized during the Cold War. The Soviet Union's S-75 Dvina, used to shoot down a U.S. U-2 spy plane in 1960, marked a significant milestone in their development. SAMs are designed to detect, track, and destroy enemy aircraft and missiles from the ground. Their destructive power lies in their speed, precision, and ability to reach high altitudes, effectively neutralizing aerial threats. Modern systems - like the U.S. Patriot and Russia's S-400 - utilize advanced radar and guidance technologies. Today, SAMs are a critical component of most national defense strategies. Their use allows military powers to fully control their own airspace.

The Mark 19 grenade launcher, developed by the United States in the 1960s, is an automatic grenade launcher designed for delivering high-explosive rounds. Initially introduced during the Vietnam War, the Mark 19 proved its worth in both offensive and defensive operations. It fires, on average, a mind-boggling 350 40mm grenades per minute. It can shoot those explosives up to 1,500 meters, nearly a mile. The Mark 19 can completely - and almost instantly - saturate a target area with high-explosive fragmentation rounds. It can effectively neutralize infantry, light vehicles, and decimate fortified positions. Its combination of firepower, range, and mobility has made it invaluable to U.S. military operations.

The A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly known as the Warthog, was introduced by the United States Air Force in the late 1970s. It’s a subsonic plane, designed specifically for close air support for ground troops. Its main gun is the terrifying GAU-8/A Avenger 30mm cannon. With it, a Warthog can shoot just under 4,000 rounds. The cannon can annihilate tanks, armored vehicles, and bunkers with pinpoint accuracy. The A-10's durable airframe, redundant systems, and titanium armor protect the pilot and critical systems from ground fire. Essentially a flying tank, the A-10 can just hang out and loiter over a battlefield, devastating the enemy with its cannon, bombs, and missiles.

Nicknamed the “Light Fifty,” this semi-automatic, .50 caliber rifle made by Barrett has been used by the U.S. military in the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Weighing about 30 pounds, the M82 is considered lightweight, and its attached muzzle brake is said to reduce recoil when fired. Traveling 2800 feet a second, its ammunition can hit through bricks and concrete, so this anti-material gun can pack a wallop. With an effective range of 5,900 feet and a maximum range of over 21,000 feet, it’s hard to escape this highly accurate sniper rifle.

Inspired by the Panzerfaust used by the German army in World War II, this weapon you can fire from your shoulder was designed to cause serious damage to a tank. When the RPG-7 was introduced in 1961, its HEAT warheads could break through 10 inches of armor. Contrary to popular belief, the RPG did not originally stand for “rocket propelled grenade,” but the Russian term “ruchnoy protivotankovy granatamyot,” which roughly translates to “handheld, anti-tank grenade-launcher.” It’s been used by the Viet Cong against US troops in Vietnam, and by the Mujahideen against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Napalm is a combination of gasoline or similar fuel and a thickening agent, which makes it easier to stick to its target. Capable of creating heat up to 2200 degrees Fahrenheit, napalm can cause second-degree burns with the slightest touch. Due to these deadly factors, bombs containing napalm were a popular weapon of choice used by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. When napalm bombs are dropped, they take carbon dioxide in the air and turn it into carbon monoxide. Due to its deadly nature, in 1980, the United Nations made it illegal for anyone to use napalm against civilians.

Tanks have often been some of the most powerful weapons deployed on the battlefield. The Leopard 2 tank, introduced by Germany in 1979, is a prime example. Its advanced armor, mobility, and powerful 120mm smoothbore cannon can dominate a combat space. But few tanks can compare to the M1 Abrams. It first entered service in 1980. For over 40 years, the Abrams has been perhaps the best tank on the planet. Like the Leopard, the M1 spots a 120mm cannon capable of firing various types of ammunition. Its armor-piercing depleted uranium shells can destroy armor and fortifications with ease. The M1’s composite armor and defensive systems make it extremely hard to kill. The M1 represents a perfect, horrifying balance between destructive power, survivability, and mobility.

Equipped with two 1,696 horsepower gas-turbine engines that can go 227 mph, this attack helicopter that’s manufactured by Boeing has seen its share of action in Desert Storm and the U.S. war in Afghanistan. It also includes a deadly arsenal of firepower, including AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 70mm rockets, and an M230 30mm chain gun that can unload 1200 rounds in less than two minutes. This helicopter has impressive sensor equipment, such as the integrated helmet and display sighting system, or IHADSS, which helps guide the pilot to find his intended target.

While the age of killer robots hasn’t reached us yet, this aircraft may be a sign of things to come. Used for surveillance, combat, and recon missions, this Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, or UAV, can be controlled by a pilot or a small crew thousands of miles away. The vehicle has been used by Italy, Morocco and Turkey. More controversially, the CIA has used it to conduct strikes in Yemen against the suspected terrorist behind the USS Cole and Anwar al-Awlaki, an alleged Al Qaeda spokesperson. The US Air Force announced plans to retire the Predator as early as 2018, replacing the drone with the MQ-9 Reaper, also known as Predator B.

Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov shortly after World War II, this tried and true assault rifle has been used by militaries, guerrillas, and terrorist groups throughout the years. The weapon is so iconic that it is featured on the flags for Mozambique and Hezbollah. The AK-47’s popularity stems from its being easy to mass-produce and not requiring much training to handle. Gas operated with a rotating bolt system, these firearms are durable, able to last anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 rounds, and they hold up in tough weather conditions.

Developed in Germany as a pesticide in 1938, sarin is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas. This nerve agent has been used in two separate terrorist attacks in Japan in the mid ‘90s, as part of chemical warfare in the Iran-Iraq War, and during the Syrian Civil War in 2013 and 2017. When sarin is introduced to an area, it can spread quickly, infecting the air people breathe and the water they drink. According to the CDC, exposure in significant amounts can lead to convulsions, paralysis, and possibly fatal respiratory failure.

Many major nations around the world conduct secret bioweapons research, ostensibly to counteract biological tracks. The use of bioweapons has been banned since 1975, and one need only look at the first ever use of biological warfare to understand why. In 1346, Mongol forces laid siege to the Crimean city of Caffa. Unfortunately, the Mongol forces had a major hurdle to contend with: they brought the plague with them from Asia. To allay the suffering of their troops, the Mongols launched their plague-ridden corpses over the walls into the city. Those residents who escaped by ship to mainland Europe brought the Black Death with them, killing millions. Until the bioweapons ban, numerous weapons were developed specifically to spread pathogens.

J. Robert Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project, the American effort to split the atom. It culminated in the first nuclear explosion ever. This test, according to Manhattan Project scientists, bore a small chance of igniting the entire atmosphere. Thankfully it didn’t. What it did do was introduce humanity to a new era of unprecedented destructive power. Nuclear fission’s ability to unleash immense energy made the a-bomb a game-changing technology. The Ivy King was the largest pure fission bomb ever produced. Its 500 kiloton was over 30 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. The Brits followed suit 5 years later in 1957 with a bigger fusion-assisted fission bomb, Orange Herald, in 1957. These bombs demonstrated the staggering explosive potential and far-reaching implications of nuclear technology.

Also called a thermonuclear weapon, hydrogen bombs are much more powerful than atomic bombs and can cover more area. Unlike atomic bombs, which require splitting big atoms like uranium, h-bombs work by fusion. When a hydrogen bomb is set off, it gives off high temperatures that cause hydrogen isotopes to fuse together, resulting in a much bigger explosion. The most powerful hydrogen bomb that has been tested is the Tsar Bomba, which set off an explosion of 50 megatons of TNT, as compared to the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima, which was only 15 kilotons. In 2016, North Korea claimed to have tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb, which, if true, would be a frightening prospect.

Are there any amateur military historians out there with additional entries for our list? Let us know in the comments below!