
China reveals first ever details of nuclear weapon 200x more powerful than Hiroshima bomb with huge 7,500-mile range
The missile is said to pack hundreds of times the destructive force of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing tens of thousands in World War II.
5
5
5
Although China has long kept its nuclear programme secret, state broadcaster CCTV revealed key details about the upgraded DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Monday.
This missile boasts a maximum range of 7,500 miles and an accuracy of 0.3 miles, as per reports by journalist Li Zexin on X.
This range is enough to reach most of Europe and nearly all of the US from launch sites inside China.
For example, the distance between Beijing to London is around 5,000 miles and from China to New York is roughly 7,000 miles.
The DF-5B is said to deliver a yield of three to four megatonnes.
This is about 200 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, which had an estimated explosive yield of about 15 kilotonnes of TNT.
It also far surpasses the destructive power of the Nagasaki bomb, which had a yield of around 21 kilotonnes of TNT.
The hi-tech ballistic missile has integrated Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle technology - allowing it to carry and release multiple nuclear warheads at once.
A single DF-5B missile can release up to 10 warheads striking different targets across wide areas.
Since each warhead is independent, missile defence systems find it much harder to intercept, making this weapon far more lethal than other known weapons.
5
Inside world's craziest city where you never know which floor you're on, trains run through houses & maps are useless
CCTV described the missile as China's 'first-generation strategic ICBM'.
The DF-5B, first created in 2015, is an upgraded variant of China's original DF-5 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which entered service in 1981.
It's unclear why this information was released, but it is believed Beijing wants to showcase its military modernisation and deter potential threats.
It comes just days after China deployed its most dangerous nuclear bombers to a tiny island, as revealed by satellite pictures.
Aerial photos show two hulking H-6 bombers on an airfield on Woody Island in the South China Sea, taken on May 19.
The long-range aircraft date back to the 1950s, and were modelled on Soviet-era warplanes.
But they have been upgraded to carry modern weapons, including hypersonic and nuclear missiles.
They are considered China's most advanced bombers, and this is the first time they've been spotted on the outpost in five years.
US intelligence previously warned that China could seize Taiwan's smaller islands as the first step of a full-scale invasion.
In September 2024, China launched a nuclear-capable missile into the Pacific Ocean, marking the first test in 40 years.
The ICBM was launched by the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force and carried a dummy warhead.
The Chinese defence ministry said in a statement the rocket "fell into expected sea areas," and that it was a "routine arrangement in our annual training plan".
China said the test was not directed at any country or target, and that it "informed the countries concerned in advance", a media report claimed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
Pope Leo tells hundreds of thousands of young Catholics to build a better world
ROME, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of young people filled a vast field on the outskirts of Rome on Saturday to see Pope Leo, in the largest event yet of the new Catholic pontiff's tenure, as part of a special weekend aimed at energizing Catholic youth. Young people from more than 146 countries, some wearing colourful bandanas to ward off the hot summer sun, were pressed against fences in the Tor Vergata field as Leo toured the crowd in his white popemobile in late afternoon. The pope, smiling broadly, waved, offered blessings and occasionally caught small stuffed animals and national flags thrown by the youth as he passed by. "Dear young people ... my prayer for you is that you may persevere in faith, with joy and courage," Leo said in remarks later to the crowd. "Seek justice in order to build a more humane world," he said. "Serve the poor, and so bear witness to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbours." Many of the youth attending the event with Leo spent all day waiting in the field in heat approaching 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) to see the pope. Organizers were using water cannons to help cool down people in the crowd. "For me, it is an incredible emotion because I had never been to an event like this before," said Maya Remorini, from Italy's Tuscany region. She said her group had arrived around 5 a.m. that morning. Many of the youth are expected to sleep in the field overnight, waiting for a second chance to see Leo on Sunday morning, when the pope is due to celebrate a Catholic mass. The weekend events are tied to the ongoing Catholic Holy Year, which the Vatican says has attracted some 17 million pilgrims to Rome since it started at the end of 2024. Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was elected on May 8 by the world's cardinals to replace the late Pope Francis.


Reuters
21 minutes ago
- Reuters
IAEA reports hearing explosions, sees smoke near Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Aug 2 (Reuters) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that its team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard explosions and saw smoke coming from a nearby location. The nuclear plant said one of its auxiliary facilities was attacked today, IAEA said in a statement. "The auxiliary facility is located 1,200 metres from the ZNPP's site perimeter and the IAEA team could still see smoke from that direction in the afternoon," the nuclear watchdog said.


Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Russia's terrifying 'DEAD HAND' threat as spiraling nuclear rhetoric leaves world on the brink
Vladimir Putin 's security chief issued a chilling warning about Russia 's 'dead hand' nuclear capability as he sparred with Donald Trump in an increasingly tense war of words. Dmitry Medvedev, who serves on the country's Security Council, said the US president should ' recall his favorite movies about "the walking dead" and remember how dangerous the so-called 'dead hand' ... could be.' Trump ordered the deployment of a pair of US nuclear submarines after the former Russian president made the sinister threat. 'We had to do that. We just have to be careful,' Trump said on the White House lawn on Friday. 'A threat was made and we didn't think it was appropriate. So I have to be very careful. 'A threat was made by a former president of Russia, and we're going to protect our people.' The 'dead hand' is Russia's rumored world-ending nuclear weapon. It takes its name because it supposedly does not need any command from an actual human, leaving the country with the ability to retaliate even if its leadership and military forces are wiped out, according to The automatic nuclear weapons control system called Perimeter, is connected to thousands of Russia's nuclear weapons, reportedly including hypersonic missiles. Russian Strategic Missile Forces General Sergey Karakaev confirmed to a Russian newspaper that the Cold War technology existed in 2011 and warned it could wipe out the entire US in a mere 30 minutes. The US has a similar system of sensors that monitor radiation to track any incoming missiles, but has never developed an automatic trigger, which might explain Trump's protective military move on Friday. 'I have ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday afternoon. 'Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' Medvedev, the former president of Russia who stepped down when Vladimir Putin returned to power, drew Trump's ire with his own post this week. 'Trump's playing the ultimatum game with Russia… Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don't go down the Sleepy Joe road!' he wrote. The war of words began after Trump gave Russia a new deadline to end the war in Ukraine. Tensions ramped up after Trump announced he was moving up his ultimatum for Russia to agree to end the war by August 8. Previously, Trump has threatened a 10 or 12-day deadline, and promised to impose severe tariffs on the country's oil and other exports if President Vladimir Putin didn't end the war in 50 days. On Thursday, Trump tore into Medvedev, calling him a 'failed' president 'who thinks he's still president', and told him to 'watch his words '. 'He's entering very dangerous territory,' Trump wrote. Trump's jabs at Medvedev, who is often a caustic critic of US policy, allows him to steer clear of Putin – with whom Trump has shown obvious frustration in recent weeks, despite Trump often referring to him as someone he can 'get along with '. Trump has lamented apparently positive phone conversations with Putin followed within hours by Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and towns. Trump's threats come after Russia launched yet another devastating attack on Kyiv this week, which killed dozens of people, including a six-year-old boy. Russia has routinely been sending swarms of hundreds of drones to attack Ukraine, with houses and apartment buildings suffering regular blasts.