Boomerang flight mechanics, illustration. Silhouetted human figure throwing a boomerang, with the flight path shown by the arrow. A boomerang is a weapon designed to return to the thrower if it fails to hit its target. It is aerodynamically shaped in the form of an airfoil, causing it to trace an ellipse in the air when thrown correctly. They were developed in a number of cultures, particularly those of Aboriginal Australians.