Quantitative Evaluation Method for Integrated Lethality of Reactive Fragment Warheads

The application of reactive materials in fragmentation warheads significantly enhances their lethality against aircraft targets. Traditional damage assessment methods often rely on the physical parameters of fragments as a single metric, making it difficult to objectively characterize the differences in damage effectiveness between reactive fragments and inert ones. This study focuses on the actual damage effects on the target and establishes a comprehensive damage evaluation model based on the normalization of perforation and ignition effects of reactive fragments. Static explosion comparison tests were conducted between typical reactive fragment warheads and inert fragment warheads. Key data, including perforation area and ignition rates, were measured to validate the effectiveness of the model. Using this model, the comprehensive lethality of different fragment warheads was predicted and evaluated, revealing the spatial distribution patterns of their damage fields. The results indicate that as the standoff distance increases, the magnitude of the power enhancement of reactive fragments relative to inert fragments initially increases and then decreases. Within the mid-to-long range, the damage capability of reactive fragments is significantly superior to that of inert fragments. Specifically, the comprehensive power index of the experimental warhead at a distance of 8 m was 3.01 times higher than that of the inert fragments.