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Russia tests superstrength bomb
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| Provocative_boi |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has tested the world's most powerful vacuum bomb, which unleashes a destructive shockwave with the power of a nuclear blast, the military said on Tuesday, dubbing it the "father of all bombs."
The bomb is the latest in a series of new Russian weapons and policy moves as President Vladimir Putin tries to reassert Moscow's role on the international stage.
"Test results of the new airborne weapon have shown that its efficiency and power is commensurate with a nuclear weapon," Alexander Rukshin, Russian deputy armed forces chief of staff, told Russia's state ORT First Channel television. The same report was later shown on the state-sponsored Vesti channel.
"You will now see it in action, the bomb which has no match in the world is being tested at a military site."
It showed a Tupolev Tu-160 strategic bomber dropping the bomb over a testing ground. A large explosion followed.
Pictures showed what looked like a flattened multi-storey block of flats surrounded by scorched soil and boulders. "The soil looks like a lunar landscape," the report said.
"The defense ministry stresses this military invention does not contradict a single international treaty. Russia is not unleashing a new arms race."
Such devices generally detonate in two stages. First a small blast disperses a main load of explosive material into a cloud, which then either spontaneously ignites in air or is set off by a second charge.
This explosion generates a pressure wave that reaches much further than that from a conventional explosive. The consumption of gases in the blast also generates a partial vacuum that can compound damage and injuries caused by the explosion itself.
"The main destruction is inflicted by an ultrasonic shockwave and an incredibly high temperature," the reports said. "All that is alive merely evaporates."
Rukshin said: "At the same time, I want to stress that the action of this weapon does not contaminate the environment, in contrast to a nuclear one."
"FATHER OF ALL BOMBS"
The Tu-160 supersonic bomber that dropped the bomb, widely known under its NATO nickname of "Blackjack," is the heaviest combat aircraft ever built.
Putin, who has overseen the roll-out of new tactical and anti-aircraft missiles and combat aircraft, has ordered "Blackjacks" and the Tu-95 "Bear" bombers to patrol around the world.
The report said the new bomb was much stronger than the U.S.-built Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb -- MOAB, also known under its name "Mother of All Bombs." "So, Russian designers called the new weapon 'Father of All Bombs'," it said.
Showing the orange-painted U.S. prototype, the report said the Russian bomb was four times more powerful -- 44 metric tons of TNT equivalent -- and the temperature at the epicenter of its blast was two times higher.
In 1999 Russian generals threatened to use vacuum bombs to wipe out rebels from the mountains during the "anti-terrorist operation" in its restive Chechnya province.
New York-based Human Rights Watch then appealed to Putin to refrain from using fuel-air explosives. It remains unclear if weapons of this type were used during the Chechen war.
U.S. forces have used a "thermobaric" bomb, which works on similar principles, in their campaign against al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
"It (the bomb) will allow us to safeguard our state's security and fight international terrorism in any circumstances and in any part of the world," Rukshin said.
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| Johan (DJ Irish) |
Yeah, Russia wants to have the fattest bombs again. Just like Tsar Bomba in the 60s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsar_bomba
50-58 Megaton Hydrogen bomb (it was designed to do 100 MegaTon). The biggest release of energy ever created by man :p
It was actually so big it was deemed unusable in actual warfare. Mainly created as a deterrent against west. As a comparison I think the largest US bomb was 15 MegaTon and Hiroshima was 0.5 MegaTon |
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| Marc Summers |
| We can still kick their ass though. Only the commies like russia |
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| Krypton |
| The one weakness of mutually assured destruction is if the pre-emptive launcher doesn't care what the retaliation is. Al-Qaida would love to martyr themselves just to push the launch button. |
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| DJ Shibby |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
The one weakness of mutually assured destruction is if the pre-emptive launcher doesn't care what the retaliation is. Al-Qaida would love to martyr themselves just to push the launch button. |
The limiting factor here is religion. That is -- superstition.
Hopefully enlightened information and communication can outrace this threat.
And I'm not just talking about AQ. |
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| Krypton |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ Shibby
The limiting factor here is religion. That is -- superstition.
Hopefully enlightened information and communication can outrace this threat.
And I'm not just talking about AQ. |
I dunno. It took Europe centuries to come out of the dark ages theocratic system. But there are some serious problems in the Middle East that Europeans just never had at the magnitude or length it is and has been. I don't think by just presenting to them the "Western freedom ideals" is going to change suicidal fundamentalists minds. To blow yourself up or fly a plane into a building, your mind is pretty much made up on what you believe. |
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| DJ Shibby |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
I dunno. It took Europe centuries to come out of the dark ages theocratic system. But there are some serious problems in the Middle East that Europeans just never had at the magnitude or length it is and has been. I don't think by just presenting to them the "Western freedom ideals" is going to change suicidal fundamentalists minds. To blow yourself up or fly a plane into a building, your mind is pretty much made up on what you believe. |
Maybe. A lot of their families are paid large sums of money, in poverty stricken regions, to "blow themselves up".
There may be a few examples of true suicidal fundamentalists, but even most of the kamakazi pilots of WWII in the japanese army most likely did not want to die, though "protecting the nation" served as a good enough incentive up until the time came.
In a sense, it's very honorable... we paint each other as we will as described by our own cultural beliefs, but it's easy to forget that we are the constant invaders and we have the iron grip on the global economy. It's natural someone would fight back, but sadly the only way they can is through these sorts of methods... it's like the conquistadors bringing their guns into the Americas.
Technology is constantly leaping and changing the world and its dominators, and one day we will be under its heels just the same. On that day, some of us will give our lives for what we believe in, which apparently we are not willing to do at the moment, even in the face of a corrupt goverment and illegal wars.
Just food for thought. :shrug: |
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| EvilTree |
Didn't the Russian spokesman say that this bomb was 'environmentally friendly' or something?
Saw this on Jon Stewart today. Funny |
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| The Arbiter |
If Russia think's that having the most powerful bomb is the sinew of war their in for a cold-cold war.
Hell, let's just forget that any method of them delivering said bomb is vastly out-dated and wildly outgunned. Cold-War period technology FTW! |
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| Krypton |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ Shibby
Maybe. A lot of their families are paid large sums of money, in poverty stricken regions, to "blow themselves up".
There may be a few examples of true suicidal fundamentalists, but even most of the kamakazi pilots of WWII in the japanese army most likely did not want to die, though "protecting the nation" served as a good enough incentive up until the time came.
In a sense, it's very honorable... we paint each other as we will as described by our own cultural beliefs, but it's easy to forget that we are the constant invaders and we have the iron grip on the global economy. It's natural someone would fight back, but sadly the only way they can is through these sorts of methods... it's like the conquistadors bringing their guns into the Americas.
Technology is constantly leaping and changing the world and its dominators, and one day we will be under its heels just the same. On that day, some of us will give our lives for what we believe in, which apparently we are not willing to do at the moment, even in the face of a corrupt goverment and illegal wars.
Just food for thought. :shrug: |
The majority of suicide bombings are for a cause, not simply blowing one's self up to kill infidels. The number one strategic goal of these suicide bombers is to force the democratic occupying states to withdraw from territory that they highly value. When you really examine the grievances of these people, it can sometimes open your eyes to see that maybe our own governments are not perfect either and could be making the situation worse by intervening in everything over there. |
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| Krypton |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
Didn't the Russian spokesman say that this bomb was 'environmentally friendly' or something?
Saw this on Jon Stewart today. Funny |
3% fallout. Not bad for 50 megatons. |
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| Omega_M |
| quote: | Originally posted by The Arbiter
Hell, let's just forget that any method of them delivering said bomb is vastly out-dated and wildly outgunned. Cold-War period technology FTW! |
Are you sure about that ? |
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