The most powerful nuclear explosions in human history. The world's largest and most powerful bomb

The destructive power of which, when exploded, cannot be stopped by anyone. What is the most powerful bomb in the world? To answer this question, you need to understand the features of certain bombs.

What is a bomb?

Nuclear power plants operate on the principle of release and containment nuclear energy. This process must be controlled. The released energy turns into electricity. An atomic bomb causes a chain reaction that is completely uncontrollable, and the huge amount of released energy causes terrible destruction. Uranium and plutonium are not so harmless elements of the periodic table; they lead to global catastrophes.

Atomic bomb

To understand which is the most powerful atomic bomb on the planet, we’ll learn more about everything. Hydrogen and atomic bombs belong to nuclear energy. If you combine two pieces of uranium, but each has a mass below the critical mass, then this “union” will far exceed the critical mass. Each neutron participates in a chain reaction because it splits the nucleus and releases another 2-3 neutrons, which cause new decay reactions.

Neutron force is completely beyond human control. In less than a second, hundreds of billions of newly formed decays not only release enormous amounts of energy, but also become sources of intense radiation. This radioactive rain covers the earth, fields, plants and all living things in a thick layer. If we talk about the disasters in Hiroshima, we can see that 1 gram caused the death of 200 thousand people.

Working principle and advantages of a vacuum bomb

It is believed that a vacuum bomb created by the latest technologies, can compete with nuclear. The fact is that instead of TNT, a gas substance is used here, which is several tens of times more powerful. Aviation bomb increased power - the most powerful vacuum bomb in the world, which is not a nuclear weapon. It can destroy the enemy, but houses and equipment will not be damaged, and there will be no decay products.

What is the principle of its operation? Immediately after being dropped from the bomber, a detonator is activated at some distance from the ground. The body is destroyed and a huge cloud is sprayed. When mixed with oxygen, it begins to penetrate anywhere - into houses, bunkers, shelters. The burning out of oxygen creates a vacuum everywhere. When this bomb is dropped, a supersonic wave is produced and a very high temperature is generated.

The difference between an American vacuum bomb and a Russian one

The differences are that the latter can destroy an enemy even in a bunker using the appropriate warhead. During an explosion in the air, the warhead falls and hits the ground hard, burrowing to a depth of 30 meters. After the explosion, a cloud is formed, which, increasing in size, can penetrate into shelters and explode there. American warheads are filled with ordinary TNT, so they destroy buildings. A vacuum bomb destroys a specific object because it has a smaller radius. It doesn’t matter which bomb is the most powerful - any of them delivers an incomparable destructive blow that affects all living things.

H-bomb

H-bomb- another terrible nuclear weapon. The combination of uranium and plutonium generates not only energy, but also temperature, which rises to a million degrees. Hydrogen isotopes combine to form helium nuclei, which creates a source of colossal energy. The hydrogen bomb is the most powerful - fact. It is enough just to imagine that its explosion is equal to the explosions of 3,000 atomic bombs in Hiroshima. Both in the USA and in former USSR you can count 40 thousand bombs of varying power - nuclear and hydrogen.

The explosion of such ammunition is comparable to the processes observed inside the Sun and stars. Fast neutrons split the uranium shells of the bomb itself at enormous speed. Not only is heat released, but also fallout. There are up to 200 isotopes. Production of such nuclear weapons cheaper than nuclear, and its effect can be enhanced as many times as desired. This is the most powerful bomb detonated in the Soviet Union on August 12, 1953.

Consequences of the explosion

The result of a hydrogen bomb explosion is threefold. The very first thing that happens is a powerful blast wave is observed. Its power depends on the height of the explosion and the type of terrain, as well as the degree of air transparency. Large firestorms can form that do not subside for several hours. And yet the secondary and most dangerous consequence, which can be caused by the most powerful thermo nuclear bomb- this is radioactive radiation and contamination of the surrounding area for a long time.

Radioactive remains from a hydrogen bomb explosion

When an explosion occurs, the fireball contains many very small radioactive particles that are retained in the atmospheric layer of the earth and remain there for a long time. Upon contact with the ground, this fireball creates incandescent dust consisting of decay particles. First, the larger one settles, and then the lighter one, which is carried hundreds of kilometers with the help of the wind. These particles can be seen with the naked eye; for example, such dust can be seen on snow. It leads to fatal outcome, if anyone is nearby. The smallest particles can remain in the atmosphere for many years and “travel” in this way, circling the entire planet several times. Their radioactive emissions will become weaker by the time they fall out as precipitation.

Its explosion is capable of wiping Moscow off the face of the earth in a matter of seconds. The city center could easily evaporate in the literal sense of the word, and everything else could turn into tiny rubble. The most powerful bomb in the world would wipe out New York and all its skyscrapers. It would leave behind a twenty-kilometer-long molten smooth crater. With such an explosion, it would not have been possible to escape by going down to the subway. The entire territory within a radius of 700 kilometers would be destroyed and infected with radioactive particles.

Explosion of the Tsar Bomba - to be or not to be?

In the summer of 1961, scientists decided to conduct a test and observe the explosion. The most powerful bomb in the world was to explode at a test site located in the very north of Russia. The huge area of ​​the landfill occupies the entire territory of the island New Earth. The scale of the defeat was supposed to be 1000 kilometers. The explosion could have left industrial centers such as Vorkuta, Dudinka and Norilsk contaminated. Scientists, having comprehended the scale of the disaster, put their heads together and realized that the test was cancelled.

There was no place to test the famous and incredibly powerful bomb anywhere on the planet, only Antarctica remained. But on icy continent It also failed to carry out an explosion, since the territory is considered international and obtaining permission for such tests is simply unrealistic. I had to reduce the charge of this bomb by 2 times. The bomb was nevertheless detonated on October 30, 1961 in the same place - on the island of Novaya Zemlya (at an altitude of about 4 kilometers). During the explosion, a monstrous huge atomic mushroom was observed, which rose 67 kilometers into the air, and the shock wave circled the planet three times. By the way, in the Arzamas-16 museum in the city of Sarov, you can watch newsreels of the explosion on an excursion, although they claim that this spectacle is not for the faint of heart.

Atomic weapons are the most terrible and majestic invention of mankind. The power of a destructive nuclear wave is so great that it can wipe out not only all life, but even the most reliable structures and buildings. Russia's nuclear reserves alone are enough to completely destroy our planet. And it is not surprising, since the country has the richest stock of atomic weapons after the United States. The Soviet “Kuzkina Mother” or “Tsar Bomba”, tested in 1961, became the most powerful atomic weapons of all times.

The TOP 10 included most powerful nuclear bombs in the world. Many of them were used for test purposes, but caused irreparable harm to the environment. Others have become weapons in resolving military conflicts.

Yield 18 kilotons

Little boy(“Baby”) is the first nuclear bomb that was not used for testing purposes. It was she who contributed to the end of the war between Japan and the United States. Little boy with a power of 18 kilotons caused the death of 140 thousand residents of Hiroshima. The device, 3 meters long and 70 cm in diameter, created a nuclear column more than 6 kilometers high. “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” who “followed” him brought considerable damage to two Japanese cities, which to this day remain uninhabited.

Yield 21 kilotons

Fat Man(Fat Man) - the second nuclear bomb that the United States used against Japan. Residents of the city of Nagasaki became victims of nuclear weapons. The explosion, with a power of 21 kilotons, claimed the lives of 80 thousand people immediately, and another 35 thousand died from radiation exposure. Exactly this powerful weapon for the entire existence of mankind, which was used for military purposes.

Yield 21 kilotons

(Thing) - the first bomb that marked the beginning of nuclear weapons testing. The shock wave of the explosion was 21 kilotons and rose 11 kilometers into the air as a cloud. The first nuclear explosion in human history made a stunning impression on scientists. White clouds of smoke with a diameter of almost two kilometers quickly rose upward and formed the shape of a mushroom.

Baker Yield 21 kilotons

Baker(Baker) - one of three atomic bombs that participated in Operation Crossroads in 1946. The tests were carried out to determine the effects of atomic shells on sea vessels and experimental animals. At a depth of 27 meters, an explosion with a power of 23 kilotons was carried out, which displaced about two million tons of water to the surface and formed a column more than half a kilometer in height. "Baker" carried with it "the world's first nuclear disaster" The radioactive island of Bikini, where the tests took place, became uninhabitable and was considered uninhabited until 2010.

Yield 955 kilotons

"- the most powerful atomic bomb tested by France in 1971. A projectile with a yield of 955 kilotons of TNT was detonated on the Mururoa Atoll, which is a nuclear explosion site. More than 200 nuclear weapons were tested there until 1998.

Power 11 megatons

- one of the most powerful explosions produced by the United States. The operation was accepted for execution on March 27, 1954. The explosion took place on a barge in open ocean, because they were afraid that the bomb could destroy the nearby island. The power of the explosion was 11 megatons, instead of the expected 4 megatons. This is explained by the fact that cheap material was used as thermonuclear fuel.

Power 12 megatons

Mike's device(Evie Mike) was initially of no value and was used as an experimental bomb. The height of the nuclear cloud was estimated at 37 km, and the diameter of the cloud cap was about 161 km. The strength of Mike's nuclear wave was estimated at 12 megatons of TNT equivalent. The power of the projectile was enough to wipe out the small islands of Elugelab, where the test was carried out. In their place, only a crater with a diameter of 2 kilometers and a depth of 50 meters remained. Radioactively contaminated fragments from the reefs scattered 50 km from the epicenter of the explosion.

Yield 13.5 megatons

- the second most powerful nuclear explosion produced by American tests. It was expected that the initial power of the device would be no more than 10 megatons of TNT. As it turned out, the nuclear explosion was very powerful and was estimated at 13.5 megatons. The height of the stem of the nuclear mushroom was 40 km, and the cap was 16 km. Within four days, the radiation cloud reached Mexico City, which is located 11,000 km from the site of the operation.

Power 15 megatons

Castle Bravo(Shrimp TX -21) - the most powerful atomic bomb ever tested in the United States. The operation was carried out in March 1954 and had irreversible consequences. The explosion, with a power of 15 megatons, caused severe radiation contamination. Hundreds of people living in the Marshall Islands were exposed to radiation. The stem of the nuclear mushroom exceeded 40 km, and the diameter of the cap was estimated at 100 km. The explosion caused the formation of seabed a huge crater, 2 km in diameter. The consequences that resulted from the tests became the reason for limiting operations carried out with nuclear projectiles.

Yield 58 megatons

(AN602) is the most powerful Soviet nuclear bomb in the world of all time. An eight-meter projectile with a diameter of two meters was used as a test in 1961 on the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. It was originally planned that AN602 would have a power of 100 megatons, but fearing the global destructive power of the weapon, they agreed that the force of the explosion would not exceed 58 megatons. At an altitude of 4 km, the Tsar Bomba was activated and gave stunning results. The diameter of the fire cloud reached about 10 km. The nuclear pillar was about 67 km in height, and the diameter of the pillar cap reached 97 km. Even being at a distance of 400 km from the epicenter of the explosion was extremely life-threatening. A powerful sound wave spread over almost a thousand kilometers. On the island where the test took place, there were no traces of life or any buildings left; absolutely everything was leveled to the surface of the earth. The seismic wave of the explosion circled the entire planet three times, and every inhabitant of the planet was able to feel the full power of nuclear weapons. After this test, more than a hundred countries signed an agreement to stop this type of operations both in the atmosphere, under water and on land.

The most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile- Russian SS-18 model 5, officially called RS-20, equipped with 10 individually targetable warheads of 750 Kt each. Another model has one warhead with a yield of 20 Mt. During the Cold War, the RS-20 was the most dangerous missile in the arsenal of the Warsaw Pact countries. Each warhead had a hit accuracy within 250 meters.

Last use of nerve gas

On March 20, 1995, in Tokyo, Japan, members of the Aum Shinrikyo sect released sarin, a deadly nerve gas, into the subway. 11 people died and more than 5,500 were poisoned.

Largest stock chemical weapons

According to International Institute strategic research, Russia has the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons. Its total weight is about 40,000 tons. USA with general stock at 25,000 tons are in second place.

The most powerful nuclear explosion

The most powerful thermonuclear device is the Tsar Bomba. Equivalent to approximately 57 megatons of TNT, it was dropped from a height of 10,500 meters to parachute system at a conditional target within a nuclear test site on the remote Arctic island of Novaya Zemlya. The bomb was detonated on October 30, 1961 at 8:33 GMT. The shock wave circled the Earth three times, with the first wave lasting 36 hours and 27 minutes. The nuclear mushroom of the explosion rose to a height of 67 kilometers, and the diameter of its cap reached 95 kilometers.

The most big number anthrax victims

The greatest number of deaths was caused by the anthrax epidemic that broke out in Sverdlovsk (USSR; now Yekaterinburg, Russia) in April 1979. At least 68 people died after inhaling the infection. The source of the epidemic has not been established.

Highest nuclear explosion

The 1.7 kt nuclear device was detonated at an altitude of 749 km (466 miles) above earth's surface September 6, 1958 as one of a series of tests conducted by the United States in accordance with secret operation"Argus". The 98.9 kg W-25 warhead was launched from a three-stage Lockheed X-17A gun from the USS Norton Sound, which was located in the South Atlantic Ocean 1,770 km southwest of Cape Town (South Africa).

The most powerful nerve gas

The nerve gas VX, or O-ethyl-S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl-methylthiophosphonate, was developed at the Experimental Facility chemical protection(Porton Down, Wiltshire, UK) in 1952. It is almost 300 times stronger than phosgene, which was used during the First World War. A dose of gas equal to 1/8 of a raindrop is enough to kill a person. In the 1950s, the United States tried to buy the method of producing this gas from Britain in exchange for thermonuclear weapons technology.
Largest number of simultaneous nuclear explosions
On October 24, 1990, at the Russian Novaya Zemlya test site, at least 8 (possibly 9) were detonated simultaneously. nuclear charges.

Longest running environmental campaign

Greenpeace has opposed nuclear testing since its formation in 1971. The first action was directed against explosions off the coast of Alaska (USA). Greenpeace continues to carry out international actions against nuclear weapons.

The smallest nuclear bomb

The W54 atomic bomb, which was produced from 1961 to 1971 in the United States and Europe, is the smallest nuclear weapon ever produced. Its range of action was 4 km, weight - 34.47 kg. The diameter of the bomb at its widest point was only 27 cm.

Largest number of victims of nuclear bombing

On August 6, 1945, an American nuclear bomb exploded in Hiroshima, Japan, killing 155,200 people. This number includes those killed by radiation sickness within a year after the bombing. The bomb exploded at an altitude of 509 meters above the city. The explosion completely devastated 10 km2 of Hiroshima. More than 65% of city structures were destroyed.

First nuclear bombing

The first nuclear bomb was dropped by the United States on Hiroshima (Japan) on August 6, 1945 at 8:16 am. The power of the explosion was 15 kt of TNT equivalent. Three weeks before this bombing, the first nuclear test in New Mexico (USA). The bomb, codenamed "Baby", was 3 meters long and weighed 4082 kg.

The largest non-nuclear bomb

The BLU-82B/C-130 weapon system, nicknamed "Daisy Cutter", contains a 5715 kg warhead explosive. The radius of the bomb is 91-274 meters. It was used in Afghanistan in 2001.

First use of smallpox as a weapon

First documented use of smallpox virus as biological weapons happened during the war of 1754-1763. between the French and Indians ( North America). British soldiers who fought simultaneously against the French colonialists and the Native Americans gave blankets to the Indians that were used by smallpox patients. The ensuing epidemic claimed the lives of more than 50% of the infected tribes.

The most powerful nuclear explosion in space

July 9, 1962 at an altitude of 399 km above Johnston Island in Pacific Ocean a nuclear explosion with a power of 1.45 Mt was carried out. The 755 kg warhead, codenamed "Starfish Prime", was launched by the US Air Force using a Thor missile. The explosion occurred at the altitude at which orbital spaceships. The power of the explosion was 100 times greater than the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

First use of biological weapons

In the 6th century BC, the Assyrians, who lived on the territory of modern Iraq, poisoned the water in the wells of their enemies with rye ergot. The poisoning caused attacks of paranoid schizophrenia, and many of the victims died.

Largest supply of smallpox vaccine

The United States has the world's largest supply of vaccine to fight the deadly smallpox virus. There are currently 15.4 million doses available, and by the end of 2002 the number will reach 286 million, enough to supply all Americans. This is how the United States is preparing for possible terrorist attacks.

The largest crater from a nuclear explosion

On January 15, 1965, at a test site near Semipalatinsk, at a depth of 178 meters under the dry bed of the Chagan River, a nuclear bomb with a yield of 104 kt was detonated. The explosion created a crater 408 meters wide and 100 meters deep. In this area it is called Lake Chagan.

The heaviest nuclear bomb

The heaviest nuclear bombs were Mk.17, which were equipped with American bombers long range Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" ("Peacemaker") in the mid-1950s. They weighed 19,050 kg and were 7.49 meters long. The maximum power of these bombs is 20 Mt, 1000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) during World War II.

The most major accident on a nuclear submarine

The worst accident on a nuclear submarine occurred on October 6, 1986, when the Soviet submarine K-219 (Project 667-A) sank in Atlantic Ocean 965 km north of Bermuda. The submarine is currently located on the ocean floor at a depth of 5,800 meters; it has 2 nuclear reactor and 16 nuclear missiles.

The most powerful weapon without casualties

The BLU-114/B graphite bomb used by NATO during the Serbian operation in May 1999 knocked out 70% of Serbia's power grid with minimal casualties. The bomb ejects ultra-fine carbon fiber conductors, causing short circuit in electrical installations.

It’s interesting how different the technology of warfare is now and at least a couple of thousand years ago. Earlier main value there were people: the more of them, the higher the likelihood of winning. Now priorities have shifted, and technology takes first place.

A simple proof of this is bombs. One powerful bomb can kill thousands of people at once. But its development requires no less: scientists who will understand the laws of nature and will be able to put them to work, designers and engineers who will be able to make a very concrete invention from an abstract principle, military men who will decide when it is best to apply it.

But if one state gets the most powerful bomb, others want the same or even better. In some ways, this behavior is reminiscent of children in a sandbox pitting themselves against cars. But these “cars” can destroy not only the sandbox itself, but also a couple of houses in the area. This is what led to the policy of military containment, which may have saved our planet from nuclear apocalypse. But still, very big bomb in its own bins it strokes the pride of states. Today we will recall several of the most memorable examples.

Baby and Fat Man

It is impossible to say that they were the most terrible or powerful weapons in history. But they are the ones that are remembered most by humanity. At the very end of World War II, the United States dropped a uranium bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

This led to the surrender of Japan, which was already surrendering, and the end of the already ending war. The price of such a victory is two destroyed cities and more than 200,000 civilian casualties. Some of them died immediately, others died from the herbs they received, radiation sickness caused by oncological radiation. Almost 70 years have passed, but debate still rages as to whether this was necessary. terrible tragedy to end the war.

The power of the Kid was about 13 kilotons in TNT equivalent, the Fat Man - 11. Even the larger Kid was far from the largest nuclear bomb. But they need to be remembered. After all, if 200,000 needless victims are erased from the memory of humanity, then what is the point of this memory and this humanity.

Castle Bravo

Another example of America's military and engineering genius - thermonuclear bomb, which was tested at the famous Bikini Atoll in 1964. The power of its explosion was 15 megatons of TNT.

The testers themselves did not expect that the use of lithium deuteride would be so successful. The power exceeded the calculated one by 2.5 times. The diameter of the atomic mushroom 8 minutes after the explosion exceeded 100 kilometers.

As a result of an error in calculation, not only the Bikini Atoll suffered, but also those located nearby, along with their population, as well as the Japanese fishing vessel Fukuryu Maru that happened to come to hand. The fishermen returned home deeply disabled, suffering from radiation exposure. Japanese authorities say more than 800 other fishing vessels were damaged in some way by the test.

Unlike the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon, the Russian Tsar Bomb is not only a symbol, but also a fully functional weapon. True, it was tested only once, in 1961, at the height of the Cold War. But even once was enough to inspire respect from other states

This thermonuclear superbomb was planned to have a yield of 100 megatons of TNT. But such dimensions frightened not only potential opponents, but also the developers themselves. As a result, it was decided to reduce its power by half. But, as it turned out later, the calculations were not entirely correct and the explosion that occurred was 15-20 percent more powerful. Here are just a few facts that will help you imagine the scope of this undertaking:

• Fire ball The explosion reached a diameter of 4.6 kilometers.
• Sound wave spread over more than 800 kilometers.
• Standing 100 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, one could get third-degree burns.
• For 40 minutes after the explosion, no communication sources worked for hundreds of kilometers due to the colossal ionization of the atmosphere.
• The height of the nuclear mushroom was more than 67 kilometers, and the diameter of the cap was 97.

The Tsar Bomba is the most powerful thing that has ever exploded anywhere in the world. I really want to believe that she will remain the absolute champion.

Mother of all bombs

The GBU-43/B or Massive Ordnance Air Blast is aptly nicknamed the “mother of all bombs.” It's already modern weapons- a high-explosive bomb, which for several years remained the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world.

It was first manufactured in 2002, but currently there are 15 copies in existence, one of which was sent to Iraq. But for such a superweapon there was no suitable target, to great joy local residents.

In TNT equivalent, its power is 11 tons, which means a complete defeat at a distance of 140 meters from the epicenter of the explosion, partial - at 1500

Daddy of all bombs

Although officially cold war ended a long time ago, unofficially the rivalry between the two powers still continues. What else could be the reason for the hype a few years after the birth of the mother? Russian father, even more powerful and destructive?

This one is the strongest this moment the vacuum bomb has a power of 44 tons of TNT equivalent, which promises a guaranteed destruction radius of 300 meters. We can only hope that these weapons will only be tested at testing grounds.

Hydrogen bomb, nuclear, high-explosive, neutron, vacuum... Humanity shows amazing ingenuity, wit, and sometimes genius in matters of self-destruction.