In the shadow of the Cold War, the Soviet Union secretly developed a super-hydrogen bomb, which was given the shocking name - "Tsar Bomba". This nuclear bomb is not only a giant in size and weight, but also an absolute hegemon in terms of power, becoming a symbol of the Soviet Union's military power, with a yield of up to 100 million tons of TNT, only 2 were made at that time, and now there is only one left in the hands of Russia, how powerful is it? That's 6,666 times more than Hiroshima's 15,000-ton "Little Boy".
Nuclear weapons, since their birth in 1945, have developed three main types: atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, and neutron bombs. The hydrogen bomb, with its enormous energy generated by the isotope of hydrogen, has become the most powerful nuclear weapon. The lethality is hundreds of times greater than that of the atomic bomb.
At the height of the Cold War in the early 60s of the last century, the United States and the Soviet Union launched a fierce nuclear race, and the Soviet Union decided to develop the world's largest hydrogen bomb in order to crush the United States and gain more competitive advantages.
In 1961, Khrushchev ordered the development of a hydrogen bomb with a nuclear yield of 100 million tons in a very short time. It took scientists only 14 weeks to complete this daunting task, and it was the "Tsar Bomba".
In order to deter the United States and NATO, and at the same time test the power of the bomb, the Soviet Union decided to test detonate one of them. However, due to environmental concerns and concerns about the uncontrollable nuclear contamination after the explosion, there was too much pressure from public opinion, and the nuclear equivalent was reduced to 50 million tons during the test explosion.
The design principle of the "Tsar Bomba" is complex and exquisite, and it is actually a hydrogen bomb with the nature of a "three-phase bomb". It is a kind of "dirty bomb", and compared with other hydrogen bombs, its nuclear contamination is more serious, and of course, the lethality is also greater.
During the explosion, the atomic bomb acts as a detonator, triggering a fusion reaction of hydrogen materials, and at the same time, uranium-238 also undergoes a fission reaction, releasing a huge amount of energy. This three-phase reaction design makes the "Tsar Bomba" far more powerful than ordinary hydrogen bombs.
To test the power of this super hydrogen bomb, the Soviet Union chose Novaya Zemlya, located in the Arctic region, as a test site. On October 30, 1961, the Tu-95 bomber was used as the carrier aircraft for the transport mission. With a loud bang, the "Tsar Bomba" exploded at an altitude of 4,000 meters in the air.
At that time, a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky as if it were the end of the world, and the radius of the fireball reached an astonishing 4,600 meters, and the resulting mushroom cloud was also 40 kilometers wide and 64 kilometers high. The blast wave spread 1,000 kilometres and was felt even in Finland, shattering the glass of many homes. A magnitude 5 earthquake was measured in the distant United States, and Alaska's communications were paralyzed for more than 20 hours due to atmospheric disturbances and strong magnetic interference.
After the explosion, all 15,000 cattle and sheep in the test area were lost, and the buildings built were also reduced to dust. It also led to a 9 mm move south of Eurasia, which is very terrifying. In addition, the high temperature generated by the explosion, as far away as 50 kilometers, can cause burns to the body and even blind eyes. It shows how terrifying its power is.
At that time, the world was shocked, especially the United States. So in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1961, the United States finally took a step back and maintained calm and restraint, so that the two sides did not press the nuclear button.
The Cold War has been over for many years, but the "Tsar Bomba" is still a product of that era, and people are still amazed. It is not only a milestone in the history of the development of nuclear weapons, but also a testimony to mankind's exploration of scientific and technological strength. Its existence still demonstrated to the world the great military and scientific and technological strength of the Soviet Union.