According to the South China Morning Post, researchers claim the 2kg magnesium hydride device created a fireball reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius.
The South China Morning Post reports that Chinese researchers have successfully tested a non-nuclear hydrogen bomb. This bomb reportedly created a lasting fireball and outperformed traditional explosives.
The newspaper’s Sunday article cited a study by researchers published last month in the Chinese-language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance. The report states that a team from the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) 705 Research Institute, a key player in underwater weapons, developed a 2kg bomb. This bomb was primarily made of magnesium hydride, using conventional explosives as a catalyst.
A field test allegedly showed the device created a fireball exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit) that lasted over two seconds. This duration is significantly longer than what a TNT blast of comparable size could produce.
The reaction involves magnesium hydride, originally intended as a fuel, rapidly releasing stored hydrogen gas, resulting in a prolonged fire.
The destructive capability of this new explosive is said to come from its capacity to generate extreme heat, rather than blast pressure.
The South China Morning Post quoted CSSC research scientist Wang Xuefeng, who stated that the device’s properties allow for “precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas.”
The method, if fully developed, could potentially create a weapon similar to napalm or a thermobaric device, ideal for destroying defensive structures and armored vehicles.
Although magnesium hydride production was traditionally small-scale and complex, China has recently developed a cheaper, safer method and constructed a plant capable of producing 150 tons of the compound annually.
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