Bombing range

Delamere Air Weapons Range in Australia: bomb deployed from an F/A-18 Hornet aircraft explodes in the distance during a training exercise
A 1,000 pound bomb hitting a small island being used as a bomb target
A BDU-56 non-explosive practice bomb being loaded to a B-2 bomber; the BDU-56 simulates the 2000lb Mark 84 bomb
A JDAM bomb being tested on a bombing range at Eglin Air Force Base, 10 February 1993

A bombing range, sometimes referred to as an air weapons range (AWR), is a remote military facility used by combat aircraft for air-to-ground weapons training, as well as for the research, development, testing, and evaluation of aerial ordnance. These ranges support precision targeting with high-explosive aerial bombs, precision-guided munitions, rockets, missiles, and other aircraft-delivered weapons, in contrast to field firing ranges used by infantry and armored units.

To minimise environmental impact and infrastructure damage, various inert "practice bombs" are extensively used to simulate explosive ordnance during precision targeting exercises. In addition, solid target practice (TP) ammunition is employed during strafing runs, offering ballistic realism without explosive payloads, unlike high-explosive (HE) or armour-piercing (AP) variants which contain energetic fillers or penetrators designed for destructive effect.

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