China has developed a massive bomb said to be the country’s response to the United States-built ‘Mother of All Bombs’ which has been described as the most powerful non-nuclear weapon.
According to a report published this Friday by the state-run Global Times, China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO) has for the first time showcased the country’s largest non-nuclear bomb.
Dubbed as the Chinese version of the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ due to its huge destructive potential believed to be second only to nuclear weapons, the report said the aerial bomb was airdropped by an H-6K bomber.
A promotional video released by NORINCO, the country’s defence industry giant on its website at the end of December showed a gigantic explosion after the bomb was dropped.
While waging war against militants in Afghanistan, the US military dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) now known as the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ on an Islamic State mountainous hide-out in Afghanistan.
Although China is using the same nickname for its bomb which weighs several tonnes, the weapon is however smaller and lighter than its American version.
According to Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst, judging from the video and the size of the H-6K’s bomb bay, the bomb which is approximately five to six meters long can be used to clear a landing zone for troops on helicopters.
“The massive blast can easily and completely wipe out fortified ground targets such as reinforced buildings, bastions and defence shelters. The US bomb is so large that it has to be carried by a larger transport aircraft rather than a bomber,” Wei added.
To match the US weapon, Russia had developed the ‘Father of All Bombs’ which is both bigger and thermobaric, meaning it uses gas to create a huge fireball rather than a shockwave.
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