Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Air Bomb is a hidden Home Village trap that rises when flying troops come within 4 tiles, chases the nearest one and explodes, damaging every air unit within 3 tiles. You get two at Town Hall 5, and Town Hall 18 allows eight, the eighth added in April 2026. Its max level is 13 with 425 damage, built to wreck swarms of Minions, Bats and Lava Pups and to soften up Balloons.
Looking for the Builder Base defense or the crafted defense with a similar name? That’s Air Bombs, a separate building.
How the Air Bomb works
The Air Bomb sits under a trapdoor on a 1×1 tile and ignores ground troops completely. When an air unit enters its 4-tile trigger range, it lifts off on two red balloons and follows the closest flyer. It explodes on contact, or at the spot where its target died, and deals full damage to every air unit within 3 tiles of the blast. If its target dies first, it only looks for a new one within 8 tiles instead of crossing the whole map.
Because the damage is splash, the Air Bomb gets better the more air units are bunched together. It’s the opposite of the Seeking Air Mine, which hits one big flyer hard and ignores the small ones.
Once triggered in a normal multiplayer defense, it stays spent until you log in and re-arms for free.
Air Bomb levels and stats
| Level | Damage | Cost (Gold) | Upgrade time | Town Hall needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 4,000 | – | 5 |
| 2 | 120 | 20,000 | 30m | 5 |
| 3 | 144 | 75,000 | 1h | 7 |
| 4 | 173 | 300,000 | 4h | 9 |
| 5 | 208 | 550,000 | 8h | 11 |
| 6 | 232 | 800,000 | 12h | 12 |
| 7 | 252 | 1,000,000 | 14h | 13 |
| 8 | 280 | 1,200,000 | 16h | 13 |
| 9 | 325 | 2,000,000 | 1d | 14 |
| 10 | 350 | 3,000,000 | 1d 12h | 15 |
| 11 | 375 | 5,000,000 | 2d | 16 |
| 12 | 400 | 9,500,000 | 3d | 17 |
| 13 | 425 | 15,000,000 | 9d | 18 |
Base costs and times, before Gold Pass discounts.
Air Bombs per Town Hall
| Town Hall | 5-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bombs | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Where to place Air Bombs
- At low Town Halls, beside an Air Defense. Attackers often take it out with ground troops and then flood the area with air units, right on top of the bomb.
- At higher Town Halls, away from Air Defense range. Lava Hounds fly straight at Air Defenses, set off any bomb next to them and shrug off the damage.
- Where your layout funnels Balloons into a clump. Two bombs close together can kill a group of lower-level Balloons before the attacker reacts with a Healing Spell.
- Near a Wizard Tower, so the combined splash forces an early heal.
- Alongside a Seeking Air Mine. The Air Bomb weakens a flyer, and the Mine can then finish it.
How to deal with Air Bombs when attacking
Spread out Minions instead of dropping them in one stack near an exposed Town Hall, storage or Air Defense, where Air Bombs tend to sit. A single Minion or Balloon sent ahead can set a bomb off and save the units behind it. High-health flyers like Dragons, Baby Dragons and Electro Dragons can mostly ignore it. With Lava Hounds, watch the timing: a bomb that goes off just as the Hound pops can kill all its Lava Pups at once.
Bat Spell bats can’t trigger an Air Bomb on their own, but if another air troop sets one off nearby, the blast will hit them.
See the Home Village traps page for the rest of the trap lineup.
Recent Air Bomb changes
- April 27, 2026 (“Sound of Clash” update): an eighth Air Bomb at Town Hall 18, and faster upgrades for levels 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12.
- November 17, 2025 (Town Hall 18): level 13 added; level 12 cut to 9,500,000 Gold.
- November 25, 2024 (Town Hall 17): level 12 added.
Air Bomb FAQ
Does the Air Bomb hit ground troops?
No. It only triggers on and damages air units.
How many Air Bombs can you have at Town Hall 18?
Eight. The eighth was added with the April 27, 2026 update; Town Halls 14 to 17 still have seven.
What’s the difference between Air Bomb and Air Bombs?
The Air Bomb is this one-shot hidden trap. Air Bombs is a visible defense that keeps lobbing barrels at air units; it exists on the Builder Base and as a crafted defense.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Sound of Clash update notes) and in-game data.
