Whose Nuclear Weapons are more powerful? That question is still up for debate. A quick survey of high-energy blasts, including Hiroshima, found that the U.S.’s weapon weighed about 15 kilotons. However, it’s unclear what the actual yield was. The yield for other high-energy blasts is not as precise, although the U.S. Department of Energy and Russian Federation Ministry of Defense have compiled a list of known high-energy explosions.
While the US and Russia have the same number of nuclear weapons, the Russians have higher yields and the potential to wipe out life on Earth more quickly. Russia has a number of nuclear warheads strategically placed in or near population centers, and the US has used these weapons to threaten other nations. The Soviet Union’s demise caused the most severe nuclear-weapons-related disasters in history.
In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union developed a number of thermonuclear weapons, but did not have the means to use them against the US. While the United States developed many nuclear weapons for war and armament, the Soviet Union made no progress. When the Soviet Union fell apart, Soviet scientists gained access to U.S. atomic weapons programs, and eventually designed and built their own nukes.
As the Cold War entered its third decade, the two superpowers began to develop even more powerful weapons. The United States and the Soviet Union had their first atomic bomb tests in 1951, and the Soviet Union tested their first hydrogen bomb on August 12, 1953. Ultimately, the Soviets surpassed the US by a few decades. But which nuclear weapons were more powerful? What makes the U.S. superior?
Although both nations possess atomic weapons, the nuclear warhead is still the most terrifying weapon on earth. A nuclear exchange between the two countries would destroy life on Earth. The US and the Soviet Union have never used their nuclear weapons in warfare, but recent developments have raised the possibility of a nuclear exchange. But Russia has also warned against any military intervention in Ukraine, citing the threat of nuclear war. And the Soviet Union continues to build their arsenal.
While the US and Russia have many nuclear weapons, the Soviets’ atomic arsenal is vastly larger. Its Status-6 drone, which is sometimes referred to as Poseidon, is deployed by a Russian submarine. The status-6 autonomously travels 5,400 miles at a depth of 3,300 feet, and then parks at its target, awaiting a command to detonate.
The US currently operates two nuclear bombers and a fleet of nuclear submarines, which are kept on constant deterrence patrols. The US also possesses nearly 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles stored in silos around the country. Most of them are aimed at the nuclear arsenal of Russia. The US has received intense criticism recently for its proposal to build more tactical nuclear weapons. The weapons are deployed and stored in a manner to ensure that they are more likely to be used.
In 1945, the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan. The first bomb, Little Boy, was dropped on Hiroshima, and the second bomb, Fat Man, exploded over Nagasaki. Both weapons had an explosive yield of 15 kilotons and a shock wave of up to 6,000 degrees. The explosion caused a firestorm in the blast zone. The second bomb, Fat Man, had a blast yield of 21 kilotons, killing about 40,000 people instantly and inflicting long-term health effects.
The United States and Russia possess thousands of nuclear weapons. But there are several other countries with nuclear arsenals as well. China, India, France, the United Kingdom, and North Korea all have nuclear warheads. Despite these differences, each of them is developing tactical nuclear weapons and lowering their threshold to use them. In addition, North Korea is building mobile launchers, which may distract from its real nuclear threat.
Although Hiroshima was 1,400 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, the effects were not as widely felt as other nuclear detonations. For example, the Hiroshima bomb produced an enormous fireball, about six miles wide, which could have devastated the entire central city of New York, including downtown Manhattan. In addition, the blast would have blown up buildings in Manhattan and midtown.
While India is building more sophisticated submarines, Russia is not. The nuclear weapons that India has are not mated with nuclear warheads. Despite this fact, the US has more nuclear-tipped missile interceptors in its arsenal than India does. Israel has the second largest number of nuclear-tipped missile interceptors, while Russia has a semi-dormant nuclear program. Currently, India has air-dropped and land-launched nuclear weapons. It has an extensive conventional military, which easily outclasses its regional rivals in traditional fighting.