This bomb opens up soon after it is fired from the mortar, releasing a multitude of small exploding bombs. LeonardoΓÇÖs invention is similar in concept to both the shotgun and the modern cluster bomb. However, a shotgun shell explodes and releases its shot while still in the gun barrel, and todayΓÇÖs cluster bomb releases hundreds of small bombs only after it has reached its target. (See also Artillery Shell.)
