Conclusion
“When seconds count, breachers don’t knock—they blast.”
If you’ve ever seen a door get peeled off its hinges by a frame charge—or felt the overpressure hit your chest like a sledgehammer—you know there’s nothing quite like explosive breaching. It’s loud, fast, violent, and surgical… all at the same time.
When stealth is out the window and you need in right now, this is the tool. And it’s not just about throwing det cord on a door—there’s a lot science behind charge placement, standoff, pressure waves, and good ol’ fashioned teamwork.
Explosive entry is something that pops up more than once in A Debt of Honor and while the book doesn’t get into the details of this Hollywood favorite, I thought we could take a closer look at the use of breaching charges.
So, let’s get into it and start with the tools, techniques, safety protocols. If you’ve ever geeked out over gear, tactics, or those breach-and-clear scenes in action packed movies, you’re gonna love this.
What Is Explosive Breaching?
At its core, explosive breaching is just using a carefully placed, controlled explosive to create an entry point—usually through a door, window, or wall. But there’s nothing “simple” about it.
Mechanical breaching (think sledgehammers, hooligan tools, and battering rams) has its place. But when time, surprise, and overwhelming force matter, you reach for the bang. It’s most often used in:
- Counter-terrorism raids
- Hostage rescue missions
- Military urban operations
- High-risk warrant entries
Biggest benefits? Speed, psychological shock, and precise control—if done right. But get it wrong, and you risk injuring your team or blowing the whole mission. Overpressure (air pressure from the blast) can knock out your team or worse. The explosive shockwave can cause internal organ damage, rupture eardrums, and even cause neurological injuries, so training and precision matter more than anything.
Types of Explosive Charges Used in Breaching
This part’s where it gets spicy. Not all charges are created equal—each type is built for specific targets, materials, and angles.
- Linear Shaped Charges: The breacher’s bread and butter. Usually made with detonating cord or a malleable explosive, like C4 or SEMTEX. LSCs are designed for speed and use a V-shaped metal lining to create a shaped explosive effect for applications like cutting, demolition, or breaching.
- Water Impulse Charges: The door kicker. These use water to direct the explosive energy and are particularly effective at buckling heavier steel doors. A breacher can quickly improvise one of these charges using a couple of IV bags from the team medic.
- Hinged/Donut Charges: Super surgical. Designed to target lock mechanisms, door knobs, or hinges directly. Best to use more precision charges when trying to avoid damage to the occupants on the other side of the explosion.
- Explosive Frame Charges: The door frame destroyers. These are beefy and often used against hard targets like cinder block, brick walls, and even reinforced concrete walls. When the bad guys don’t want you in, this guy ends the negotiation.
Each charge is shaped and placed based on the construction of the target—you’d use something totally different on a metal security door than a plywood back door. No need for a big bang when a focused pop will get the job done.
Tools and Equipment Used in Explosive Breaching
Most breachers carry a kit that looks like something between a bomb tech bag and a tool belt from hell. This is a key consideration when planning a load-out. The more options you bring the heavier the load, especially if you plan on tamping with liquid.
Key gear includes:
- Det cord or plastic explosive (main charge component)
- Initiation systems: electric caps, shock tube, or time fuse systems
- Tape, putty, hooks, carabiners: for placing and anchoring charges
- Remote firing system or manual igniters
- Breacher PPE: helmet, gloves, ballistic eyewear, body armor
One tip? Label your gear and keep it modular. The last thing you want is to be rooting through a bag while your team’s stacked and waiting for the boom.
Tactical Considerations and Entry Execution
Breaching is just the first move in a choreographed ballet of violence.
It all starts with target analysis—is this a steel door? Hollow-core? Does it swing in or out? Then you decide where to place the charge. A half-inch in the wrong direction can mean the door stays shut or the blast doesn’t go where you want it to.
Key steps:
- Clear comms with the team. Everyone knows their job before the countdown.
- Call the shot: “BREACHING! BREACHING!” You want zero surprises.
- Detonate. Entry team moves on the boom.
- Room clear. Secure. Hold.
Some teams use flashbangs post-breach, some don’t. It depends on the mission profile.
Conclusion
Explosive breaching is a science—and an art. When you’ve done it enough, you get a feel for the charge, the door, the layout. You stop seeing a “barrier” and start seeing pressure angles and access points.
Whether you’re planning real-world tactical operations or just trying to write a more believable scene in your next thriller, understanding this stuff goes a long way. It’s loud. It’s dangerous. And when done right, it’s beautifully effective.
Got questions? Got a great explosive breaching story or thoughts on a fictional scene from a thriller novel? Hit the comments—I’d love to hear it.
