Re:My observations during the explosion at Trinity (1945)
by mikeash on Tuesday October 18, 2016 @02:15PM
(#12737177)
Surely the pre-thermonuclear bombs also had a big advantage in ease of delivery? One bomber could do what previously took a thousand, which means that a bomber fleet could destroy a bunch of cities simultaneously, instead of hitting a couple of cities per week as in the Second World War.
The super-large bombs weren't entirely impractical. Hitting an area with multiple smaller bombs is indeed far more effective, if you can accurately deliver a bunch of smaller bombs at once. There was a period where that wasn't a given, and they tried to make up for inaccuracy with explosive power. The 100Mt bomb was never deployed (or, indeed, built other than the one de-rated test article) but both the US and USSR deployed 25Mt bombs.
Re:My observations during the explosion at Trinity (1945)
by Retric on Tuesday October 18, 2016 @04:04PM
(#12738142)
Carpet bombing a larger area means you need even less precision. Picture throwing a 10 darts at a dart board with a 2 foot radius, vs 1 dart with a 4 foot radius.
The super-large bombs weren't entirely impractical. Hitting an area with multiple smaller bombs is indeed far more effective, if you can accurately deliver a bunch of smaller bombs at once. There was a period where that wasn't a given, and they tried to make up for inaccuracy with explosive power. The 100Mt bomb was never deployed (or, indeed, built other than the one de-rated test article) but both the US and USSR deployed 25Mt bombs.