North Korea has just tested their first hydrogen bomb
- Thread starter Mynight
- Start date
Thanks for editing the title.
And I'd have thought anyone could guess who I was talking about with "Fat man not slim" and "hydrogen bomb" in the title.
Hydrogen bomb, yes. Fat man not slim didn't mean anything to me at all.
Thanks for editing the title
And I'd have thought anyone could guess who I was talking about with "Fat man not slim" and "hydrogen bomb" in the title
I did
. I thought it was referencing the first atomic bomb, the fat man
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Man
It did ring a bell in terms of a bomb and I guessed at it being that (though little boy would maybe have been more appropriate, as that would've been more related to their leader now having taken over from his Father, but that's just two references to a bomb and not Korea (also, wasn't little boy the first?).
Ah well, changed now.
Strictly speaking, the first Atomic bomb was "The Gadget"
(The sequence of the first three detonations is interesting and also explains why the US did not feel that a demonstration before Japanese representatives would be sensible as an alternative to immediate military use)
they had an expert on the tv saying from the seismic event it was about 1.5 times as powerful as their last A bomb test, which puts it in the same range as the Hiroshima bomb, which was only a fission bomb.
so if it was a hydrogen bomb part of it clearly failed as the blast was far far too tiny.
Not if it was intended to be an enhanced radiation bomb (Neutron Bomb) 10-15Kt would be just about right (If not a bit on the big side)
(Not claiming that this is what they have done, just disputing the idea that just because it was low yield, it didn't happen)
Whenever I hear of North Korea's self proclaimed successes in technology or military achievements I'm always reminded of this
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Slightly more seriously, fortunately there tends to be a big difference between being able to do something once under perfect conditions and being able to replicate it reliably, let along being able to deploy it in a useful manner.
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Slightly more seriously, fortunately there tends to be a big difference between being able to do something once under perfect conditions and being able to replicate it reliably, let along being able to deploy it in a useful manner.
the Hiroshima bomb design had never been used before the day it was dropped...
Pakistan?
There is nothing particularly high tech about nuclear weapons.
The main development was done at a time when bleeding edge consumer tech was a car radio and colour TV hadn't been invented.
Getting suitable quantities of fissile material of sufficient purity (U235/Pu239) is the tricky bit, the rest is relatively easy.
Certainly involving nothing that NK couldn't manage.
probably not, but they've been progressing very slowly though. (10+ years so far iirc since first test)
biggest challenge with nukes is the enrichment and stopping say the USA or israel blowing up your facilities before you get them running.
Soldato
- Joined
- 30 Sep 2005
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People shouldn't worry about this at all. This is coming from a country who last year told us they cured ebola, aids, mrsa and computer stress by eating cat poo and tonic water.
Yup they've been slowly working at it in general for years - while their own results have been less than spectacular exported versions of their rocket designs have been adapted into reliable, if decades behind the curve, platforms by Iran, etc. they'll probably get there eventually.