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India.com
7 days ago
- General
- India.com
Not Nagasaki, but this city was first target of atom bomb, US changed its decision due to....
Not Nagasaki, but this city was first target of atom bomb, US changed its decision due to.... In the final phase of World War II, on 6 and 9 August 1945, US caused the worst destruction in history by dropping atomic bombs on two Japanese cities, 'Hiroshima and Nagasaki'. Bombs named 'Little Boy' were dropped on Hiroshima and 'Fat Man' on Nagasaki, killing millions of people and turning both cities into ashes. But do you know that Nagasaki was not US's first target? The second atomic bomb was actually to be dropped on another city in Japan, but at the last moment America changed its target and Nagasaki was destroyed instead of that city. This city was US' first target During World War II, the US planned to use atomic bombs with the intention of forcing Japan to surrender. After dropping the first bomb on Hiroshima, the second target was decided and that target was the Japanese city of Kokura. Kokura was an important industrial city of Japan at that time, where there were large-scale ammunition and weapons manufacturing factories. The US strategy was to further weaken Japan's military power by attacking Kokura. For this, on 9 August 1945, the B-29 bomber aircraft 'Box Car' was sent to Kokura with the 'Fat Man' bomb. How the target changed On the morning of August 9, when the B-29 plane reached over Kokura, the weather was bad there. The sky was covered with thick clouds and smoke, due to which the pilot Major Charles Sweeney could not see the target clearly. According to the rules of the US Army, the atomic bomb was to be dropped only on the basis of vision, so that the target could be hit accurately. When the attack on Kokura was not possible even after several rounds, the plane started running out of fuel. In such a situation, Sweeney had to choose the second option and that option was Nagasaki. 74,000 people died due to the bombing Nagasaki was an alternate target on the US list at the time. It was a port city and was also industrially important, but was a lower priority target than Kokura. Weather made it impossible to target Kokura, and the 'Fat Man' bomb was finally dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 am. The attack killed about 74,000 people, and devastated a large part of the city. Kyoto was also a target, but it survived You will be surprised to know that US had initially included Kyoto city of Japan in the target list. Kyoto was the cultural capital of Japan at that time, where there were many universities, industries, and historical heritages. But American War Minister Henry Stimson got Kyoto removed from the list. The reason was his personal attachment. Stimson had celebrated his honeymoon with his wife in Kyoto and he had many memories associated with this city. Due to his insistence, Nagasaki was included in the list instead of Kyoto. In this way, the memory of a honeymoon saved Kyoto from destruction, but Nagasaki had to pay the price for it. The 'Fat Man' bomb dropped on Nagasaki was even more powerful than Hiroshima's 'Little Boy'. The bomb exploded about 500 meters above the ground, causing a huge mushroom ball of fire to rise into the sky. The explosion was so powerful that 70% of the city's industrial area was completely destroyed. However, the mountains around Nagasaki limited the scope of the devastation to some extent, causing less damage than Hiroshima. Still, the attack took the lives of thousands of people and left a deep impact of radiation on future generations. What do historians say? Many historians believe that Japan was already on the verge of defeat at that time, and the use of atomic bombs was probably not necessary. Some argue that the US demonstrated its military power through these attacks and wanted to send a message to the Soviet Union. At the same time, some say that US President Harry Truman wanted to force Japan to surrender as soon as possible, so that the war could be ended. After these attacks, Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, and World War II came to an end.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The US ‘misplaced' these nuclear weapons
Of all things to lose track of, billion-dollar weapons of mass destruction should be high on the list. At least that's something common sense would have you believe. Despite the level of international security that could be at risk, the lost funds, and the pure insanity of losing something so important, Uncle Sam has done just that. Multiple times over. Take a look at these stranger-than-fiction instances of lost nuclear missiles and the stories of how they fell off the government's radar. Not once, not twice, but six times, nuclear missiles were misfired or misplaced. In fact, it took so many times, it was given an official name, Broken Arrow, with the first instance dating back to 1950. The first atomic bomb was detonated in 1945, and just eight years later, the first nuclear bomb went missing. When a B-47 bomber was in a mid-air collision off the coast of Georgia, it had been carrying a 7,600-pound Mark 15 hydrogen thermonuclear bomb. With an explosive yield of 3.8 megatons (that's 190 times more powerful than the Fat Man bomb), it held some serious impact ability. The plane survived with minimal damage, though the pilot was worried the Mark 15 would eject on its own. To keep this from happening, the pilot jettisoned the bomb into the water, near Tybee Island. More than 100 Navy members spent two months looking for the bomb, even using sonar technology to search in the water. However, it was never found. Due to this snafu, the Air Force told the public the plutonium warhead had been removed prior to its drop. However, in 1994, documents from a 1966 Congressional testimony refuted that and said the Mark 15 was still intact with its nuclear capabilities. In 1965, a Douglas A-4E Skyhawk from the Navy crashed into the Western Pacific with a nuclear bomb in tow. Neither it nor the plane's pilot was ever recovered despite extensive searches. The event took place 68 miles from Japan during a training incident. At one time, it was speculated that there were two bombs on the aircraft, while other sources say the plane was absent from ammunition. However, the U.S. came clean in 1989, when the DoD admitted it was a one-megaton H Bomb, causing backlash from Japan when they learned of the fall within their territory. Another thermonuclear bomb went missing in 1966 when it was dispersed from a military aircraft. Three of the fallen bombs were recovered, while the fourth sunk to the bottom of the sea near Spain. It contained a massive 1.1 megatonne warhead and was viewed by a local fisherman who watched it drop from the sky and into the ocean. Though it too was searched for, military members were not able to recover the bomb. Then in 1968, the USS Scorpion, a Navy submarine, imploded with its crew and two Mark 45 torpedoes on board. After the submarine failed to arrive at its intended destination, a search was enacted, locating the submarine's wreckage in the North Atlantic Ocean. Though the reason for its implosion was not determined, the two nuclear weapons were located, still intact. Scientific data shows that the uranium and plutonium cores were likely corroded and remained within the casings or vessel itself, as the outside sediment showed no signs of the material. In total, 32 Broken Arrow incidents have been reported. In addition to the lost bombs, accidental detonations or other incidents are included in that number. These are only the ones that have been admitted, which is an interesting fact considering some of the above incidents weren't corroborated until decades after the fact. The ocean losses are somewhat easier to swallow. Though the danger is no less present, there are miles and miles of seafloor to search, with additional factors like currents, changes in depth, and the inability to see what's below. It serves as a good reminder that we don't always know what Uncle Sam is up to or what its missions may be. That's why it's often unlikely that military spouses know what their member is up to, and why they take any instructions with a grain of salt, knowing it could change at any moment. Surprisingly, this loss of six nuclear bombs is considered a good track record in comparison with other countries, and the number of nuclear weapons that have been produced by the U.S.
India Today
18-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
When Buddha finally smiled: 51 years since India's first nuclear test
Fifty-one years ago, on May 18, 1974, the arid sands of Rajasthan's Pokhran witnessed a silent roar that echoed across the world. With the successful detonation of its first nuclear device, India stunned the world and reshaped the global nuclear order. That single explosion made India the first country outside the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to demonstrate nuclear 'Smiling Buddha', the operation established India's technological prowess, strategic autonomy, and national resolve on the world stage. The operation, known as Pokhran-I nuclear test today, was conducted in extreme secrecy under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. 'Dr Ramanna, please go ahead. It will be good for the nation," Indira Gandhi said on May 17, 1974. This was two years after she greenlighted the project during a visit to BARC on September 7, 1972. Indira Gandhi at nuclear test site (Photo: X/INCIndia) A team of 75 scientists and engineers, led by Raja Ramanna, PK Iyengar, Rajagopala Chidambaram and others had worked on it from 1967 to Ministry of External Affairs described the test as a 'peaceful nuclear explosion", as several countries raised concerns about the proliferation of nuclear weapons. In response to India's nuclear test, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) was formed. This group of 48 nuclear supplier countries collaborated to regulate the export of nuclear-related equipment and technology apart from the material provided to non-nuclear WAS IT CALLED SMILING BUDDHA?The operation's codename, Smiling Buddha, was inspired by Gautama Buddha. Coincidentally, the test took place on Buddha Jayanti, the day celebrating the Buddha's Ramanna, who was then the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, sent a secret message after the testing to the Prime Minister saying, 'The Buddha has finally smiled."WHAT WAS THE DEVICE?The nuclear device tested in 1974 used an implosion-type design, similar to the "Fat Man" bomb dropped on Nagasaki. It worked by using high explosives to compress a plutonium core until it triggered a nuclear explosion. About 6 kg of plutonium from the CIRUS reactor was used, and a polonium–beryllium initiator, codenamed Flower, helped start the chain reaction. The implosion system was developed in Chandigarh, and the detonation system in engineers at BARC fully assembled the bomb, which was hexagonal, about 1.25 meters wide, and weighed around 1,400 kg. It was mounted on a metal tripod and transported to the test shaft using a rail system, which the army kept camouflaged with sand to maintain PUSHED THE BUTTON?advertisementThe device was detonated on 18 May 1974 at 8.05 IST and scientist Pranab Rebatiranjan Dastidar was the one who pushed the firing Raja Ramanna, a key figure behind the nuclear test, in his autobiography, 'Years Of Pilgrimage' recalled that on the day of the detonation, there was some argument about who would press the button. 'I put an end to it by suggesting that the person who had been responsible for fabricating the trigger should, in a manner of speaking, pull it. Dastidar was chosen to press the button'' Ramanna a Padma Shri awardee, was the Group Director at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and later served as Director at the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He also contributed to the development of the reactor for India's first indigenous nuclear submarine, INS passed away on February 11, 2022, in EXPLOSION OR BOMB?While the Ministry of External Affairs officially termed the test a 'peaceful nuclear explosion,' the reality was more complex. In a 1997 interview with the Press Trust of India, Raja Ramanna clarified:advertisement'The Pokhran test was a bomb, I can tell you now An explosion is an explosion, a gun is a gun, whether you shoot at someone or shoot at the ground I just want to make clear that the test was not all that peaceful.'POKHRAN-IIFollowing the 1974 test, India refrained from further nuclear testing for over two decades. Then, in May 1998, India conducted a second series of tests under Operation Shakti—also known as Pokhran-II—using advanced indigenous technology developed over the previous 24 years. The site where Shakti-3 nuclear device was detonated underground on 11 May 1998. (Photo: AFP) India conducted a series of five nuclear tests over the span of two days in 1998. On May 11, the country detonated a thermonuclear device (hydrogen bomb), a fission bomb, and a sub-kiloton device. Two additional sub-kiloton tests followed on May 13. These successful tests positioned India as the sixth nation to openly demonstrate nuclear weapons capability, joining the ranks of the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and China. Then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Defence Minister George Fernandes, India's 'missile man' APJ Abdul Kalam and Atomic Energy chief R Chidambaram display the victory symbol during a visit to the Shakti 1 test site, where India tested nuclear device in Pokhran. (Photo: AP) advertisementHOW THE WORLD REACTEDJAPAN'It is extremely regrettable that India conducted such testing, resisting the global trend to ban nuclear testing, while the international community including Japan had repeatedly requested the new Government of India to exercise maximum self-restraint on nuclear policies. Japan strongly urges the Government of India to stop its development of nuclear weapons immediately.'AUSTRALIAThe Australian Government conveyed 'condemnation of the tests in the strongest possible terms' and announced a series of measures against the Disarmament Conference held by the United Nations on May 15, 1998, the Australian representative, John Campbell, had stated, 'Australia could only conclude that this was the act of a Government that had the utmost disregard for accepted international norms of behaviour. India's actions were a slap in the face to the overwhelming majority of the international community determined to work towards the goal of a nuclear weapon-free world.' advertisementKOREAThe Republic of Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'country was concerned over the nuclear tests conducted by India on May 11 and 13, 1998. Korea's Foreign Ministry had stated that the tests were all the more regrettable for coming at a time when international efforts to achieve a nuclear-weapons-free world had advanced with the adoption of the CTBT.' MALAYSIA'The action by India was a serious setback to efforts to keep the region free of nuclear weapons. It also undermined the efforts of the international community towards attaining a complete ban on nuclear testing. Malaysia was particularly disappointed that India had taken such a step in the light of the overwhelming adoption of the CTBT.'NEW ZEALAND'New Zealand joined the many calls of other concerned countries urging India to make the commitment not to conduct any further tests. It also called on India to join the NPT and sign the CTBT as a matter of urgency.'
India.com
02-05-2025
- Politics
- India.com
World's most powerful nuclear bomb that can reduce entire city to rubble in seconds is..., under control of..., it is powerful enough to...
New Delhi: Tensions between India and Pakistan along the border are at their peak following the Pahalgam attack. There is also discussion about both countries' stockpiles of nuclear weapons and their nuclear strike capabilities. But do you know which country possesses the largest nuclear bomb in the world and how much damage it can cause? In August 1945, America dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Approximately 200,000 people were killed in this attack. The names of these two atomic bombs were Little Boy and Fat Man. There are 9 countries in the world that possess nuclear weapons. The United States has 5,748, Russia has 5,580, China has 500, France has 290, England has 225, India has 172, Pakistan has 170, Israel has 90, and North Korea has 50 nuclear weapons. In the 1960s, America developed a mini nuclear bomb (Hydrogen Bomb) with a yield of five megatons. America created its mini version for its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). This Russian bomb is nearly 50 years old and has a power of six megatons. Its advanced version B has already been prepared. Russia conducted its first nuclear test in August 1953 with this bomb. The explosion was conducted in the atmosphere rather than on the ground. The American army has a seven-megaton atomic bomb that makes its enemies tremble worldwide. This nuclear bomb can be launched from a height of 60,000 feet at supersonic speed (Supersonic Missile). It is difficult for radar to detect it. Russia possesses a nuclear bomb from the Soviet era that is eight megatons. It can obliterate even the strongest bunkers. It is said to be a small package with a big blast. America has a nine-megaton bunker buster bomb. During the Cold War, America manufactured over 340 such bombs. This bomb is 12 feet long and weighs more than 4,000 kilograms. Its new version B83 is considered the most powerful bomb in the world. The United States also has the thermonuclear gravity bomb TX-21 Shrimp. This is a large and powerful nuclear weapon. This 15-megaton atomic bomb was created in 1950. The explosion that America conducted on the Marshall Islands in March 1954 made use of this bomb. Instead of an explosion in the sky, it was detonated on the ground. This resulted in an explosion that caused significant devastation. The second largest atomic bomb in the world is with America. The United States has the second most powerful 25-megaton atomic bomb. The United States has several versions of this atomic bomb. Over the past 65 years, America has developed several versions of this atomic bomb. The world's largest and most powerful atomic bomb, Tsar Bomba, is held by Russia. This atom bomb is of 50 megatons. If such a heavy and intense atomic bomb explodes, it could wipe out the existence of a major city. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union first made a bomb with the power of 100 TNT, but seeing the threat to the Earth from testing such bombs, it was reduced to 50 tons. Tsar Bomba has the power of 50 megatons of TNT, and its test was conducted on October 30, 1961, which was the largest nuclear explosion in world history. The atomic bomb that America dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima was only 15 kilotons. This means that Russia's Tsar Bomba was 3,300 times more powerful than that atomic bomb.
India.com
29-04-2025
- Politics
- India.com
How much does a nuclear bomb cost, where are they hidden, and who decides to launch them?
During World War II, the United States dropped two atomic bombs—'Little Boy' on Hiroshima and 'Fat Man' on Nagasaki—causing immense destruction and loss for Japan. Today, countries around the world are spending a staggering USD 91.4 billion annually just to maintain their nuclear weapons. This equals about USD 2,898 every second, or nearly Rs. 2.5 lakh per second—an amount greater than the annual GDP of more than 100 countries. In Pakistan, F-16 fighter jets are stationed at bases like Mushaf (Sargodha) and Shahbaz, and it is believed that the Sargodha Weapons Storage Complex, located about 10 km away, houses its nuclear arsenal. Pakistan possesses various types of missiles such as Abdali, Shaheen, Ghauri, Hatf, and others. Decisions regarding nuclear strikes in Pakistan are taken by the National Command Authority, which is led by the Prime Minister. Who decides to launch a nuclear bomb? Globally, presidents or prime ministers do not directly order a nuclear strike on their own. Instead, they hold secure codes (smart codes) required to authorize a launch. However, the actual firing of a nuclear missile is carried out by a designated command team at the lowest operational level. The decision is typically made after consulting top security entities like the Cabinet Committee on Security, National Security Advisor (NSA), and the Chief of Defence Staff. For example, the US President carries a 'nuclear football'—a briefcase containing war plans and target information, while the Russian President has a similar case for launching nuclear weapons. India has a strong missile arsenal that includes Agni, Shaurya, Pralay, and BrahMos, all capable of delivering nuclear strikes. It also possesses a nuclear triad—the ability to launch nuclear attacks from land, air, and sea. India follows a 'No First Use' nuclear policy, meaning it will never strike first with a nuclear weapon—but if attacked, it promises to respond with full force. In 1957, a nuclear bomb accidentally dropped from an aircraft in New Mexico. Fortunately, it did not detonate, preventing a disaster. In 1958, a B-47 bomber dropped a nuclear bomb in South Carolina, but luck favored the situation as the nuclear weapon remained intact within the missile. In 1961, a B-52 bomber carrying two nuclear bombs crashed in California. In 1965, a plane launched from an American aircraft carrier dropped a nuclear bomb into the sea, and it has never been found. During the Cold War, the global nuclear bomb count nearly reached 60,000. To address this, nuclear disarmament programs were introduced. Only South Africa voluntarily dismantled its entire nuclear arsenal, freeing itself from nuclear weapons. In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing between 125,000 and 250,000 people. The cities endured the devastating effects of the atomic bombs for over 50 years. Countries that posses nuclear weapons According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's 2024 report, nine countries currently possess over 12,000 nuclear weapons: Russia, the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea. Russia holds 2,815 nuclear warheads, the U.S. has 1,928, China possesses 410, France has 290, the UK holds 225, Pakistan has 170, and India has 172 nuclear weapons. North Korea, with the smallest stockpile, has 30 nuclear bombs. Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is valued at approximately USD 4.455 billion. If Pakistan were to sell all its nuclear weapons, it could clear its foreign debt, which stands at around USD 27.4 billion. Currently, creating a nuclear bomb or warhead costs between USD 18 million (Rs. 1530 crore) and USD 53 million (Rs. 4516 crore), depending on various factors. This means the total cost of a nuclear bomb system could be as high as Rs. 4,500 crore. However, these costs can vary between countries. According to a 1998 report by the Federation of American Scientists, the B61-12 nuclear bomb from the U.S. is considered highly lethal, with a warhead priced at USD 28 million. However, when factoring in the missile, launch aircraft, launch pads, and maintenance, the total cost of a nuclear weapon is around USD 270 million or roughly Rs. 2,300 crore.
