SCMP: China Succeeds in Testing Non-Nuclear Hydrogen Bomb

Fireball Lasts 17 Times Longer Than TNT at Over 1,000 Degrees Celsius

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on April 21, China has succeeded in testing a hydrogen bomb without using nuclear material.

According to the report, the 705 Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation announced in a paper published in the academic journal "Guidance and Control of Launch Vehicles, Rockets, and Missiles," issued by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics, that it had triggered a destructive chemical chain reaction in a hydrogen-based explosive device without using nuclear material as a detonator.

The institute used magnesium hydride, which was originally developed to supply power to fuel cells, instead of nuclear material. As a result, a 2kg bomb generated a fireball (fire cloud) exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius for more than 2 seconds, according to the institute. This duration is about 17 times longer than the 0.12 seconds of TNT.

Wang Xuepeng, a researcher at the institute, stated, "The explosion is ignited with minimal energy, has a wide blast radius, and the flames rapidly spread outward. The explosion intensity can be precisely controlled, allowing for uniform destruction of targets over a wide area."

The institute evaluated that these characteristics make the device ideal for missions such as area denial. It also considered it effective for incinerating targets such as vehicles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.