The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union and the United States became the two superpowers in the world.

Although the two countries fell out after the war and entered the Cold War, the most notable feature of the Cold War was the arms race. In order to overwhelm each other, the United States and the Soviet Union continued to develop their own armaments, especially in the field of nuclear weapons.

Although the Soviet Union did not detonate its first atomic bomb until 1949, while the United States already had more than 200 atomic bombs at that time, the Soviet Union had fewer nuclear warheads than the United States from the 60s to the mid-70s. For example, in 1960, the United States had 1.5 nuclear warheads, while the Soviet Union had only more than 1000. In order to make up for the gap with the United States, the Soviets began to work on the power of the hydrogen bomb. Their efforts paid off, and they finally successfully developed "Big Ivan."

The "Big Ivan" hydrogen bomb is also known as the "Tsar Bomb". "Big Ivan" is a three-phase hydrogen bomb. The so-called three-phase hydrogen bomb means that the explosion has three reaction stages. This hydrogen bomb is the bomb with the largest TNT equivalent in human history. Its TNT equivalent reaches a terrifying 5000 million tons. You must know that the equivalent of the largest hydrogen bomb in the United States is only more than 1000 million tons. If the energy of the "Big Ivan" hydrogen bomb is converted, it is equivalent to 2X10 to the 17th power joules released instantly in 39 nanoseconds. Note that it is nanoseconds, not milliseconds. The power is 5.4×10 to the 24th power watts, equivalent to 1.4% of the power of the sun. In order to test this powerful hydrogen bomb, the Soviet Union spent a lot of time to find a suitable place, that is, Novaya Zemlya in the northern part of the Soviet Union.

The Soviet-developed "Tsar Bomba" is the largest and most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested by humans. This behemoth was detonated on Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic on October 1961, 10, with an explosive equivalent of 30 million tons, equivalent to 5000 times the total amount of explosives used in World War II, including "Little Boy" and "Fat Man" dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively.

Tsar Bomba was designed to detonate at an altitude of 2.5 miles (4 km), creating a fireball so large that it would touch the ground and almost reach the altitude of the bomber that dropped the hydrogen bomb. The brilliant fireball, like a rising sun, could be seen and felt by people 620 miles (1000 km) from ground zero, and the heat from the explosion caused third-degree burns to people 62 miles (100 km) away.

The mushroom cloud formed by the explosion was about 40 miles (64 miles) high and 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide. Residents of the Scandinavian Peninsula could see and feel the huge explosion, which also shattered the glass of some local buildings.

The 5000 million tons of TNT equivalent was not the original design of "Big Ivan". The original design was 1 million tons, but for the sake of experiment, the one produced was 5000 million tons of TNT equivalent.

In fact, it is fortunate that the equivalent of the "Tsar Bomb" was reduced. Otherwise, if it had been detonated at the maximum shooting equivalent (1 million tons), its power would have been equivalent to 6500 times the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, causing 25% of the world's surface area to be covered in nuclear pollution. The damage caused to mankind can be imagined.

A "Big Ivan" is enough to destroy the core area of ​​a great country and cause horrific losses.

If a "Big Ivan" is dropped on Paris, the whole of France will be in name only!
By the same token, if a Big Ivan was dropped on London, the whole of Britain would be almost destroyed.

Of course, large yield is not the current development trend. The current development trend is to develop small-yield nuclear weapons, develop low-nuclear pollution nuclear weapons, continuously expand the killing and destructive effectiveness, continuously shorten the reaction time, improve the maneuverability of weapon systems, improve penetration capabilities, improve hit accuracy, expand the deployment range, increase launch platforms, etc.

At present, the five permanent members have a consensus that they will hardly use nuclear weapons against each other and will not allow other countries to develop nuclear weapons, but they do not rule out the use of tactical nuclear weapons to carry out surgical strikes on non-nuclear countries.

"We still can't be careless. The United States and Russia still have far more nuclear warheads than we do. We should be prepared for the worst!" Qian Xuesen said while holding the ammunition.

Liu Tao shook his head slightly and said, "Nuclear weapons are something that can be used as long as they are sufficient. The effect of exploding them twice, three times, or four times is not much different from exploding them once."

China does not seek to catch up with the United States and Russia in the number of nuclear warheads, but has its own plans.

It’s not because China lacks uranium. In fact, the uranium ore imported from overseas by Panshan Group in recent years is more than enough to produce tens of thousands of nuclear warheads!

All of this uranium is used as a strategic reserve resource, as well as as fuel for nuclear power plants and nuclear reactors on nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

What China pursues is just enough!
While developing strategic nuclear weapons, we also develop tactical nuclear weapons.

Moreover, both aspects are at the world's leading level.

"In another ten years or so, we will have the power to destroy the ascending stage of nuclear missiles of other countries. By then, we will have nothing to fear from others!" Liu Tao said.

There are some aspects that Qian Xuesen does not know, because Qian Xuesen has gradually withdrawn from scientific research since the 90s, and he is old and has limited energy, so it is not suitable for him to know too much.

For example, Qian Xuesen only knew the general idea of ​​the national strategic defense system and the theater defense system, but he didn't know anything more specific.

These are all strictly confidential, and except for a very small number of people, it is almost impossible for anyone to know the details.

Qian Xuesen was not even aware of the deployment of space laser weapons.

Liu Tao has mastered all of these in great detail.

"It's a pity that I will no longer see that day!" Qian Xuesen shook his head.

He is now 96 years old, which is definitely considered an elderly person.

He knew his own body and knew he would never live to see that day.

Birth, aging, sickness and death are the inevitable experiences in life.

The most powerful weapon in the world is not nuclear weapons, cannons or airplanes, but time!

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Under the power of time, planets and stars have lifespans, and even entire star systems and galaxies have lifespans.

Liu Tao was silent.

It's cruel!
Because according to the medical team's estimate, Qian Xuesen only had a few years to live!
The torture he suffered and the hardships of life at that time left Qian Xuesen with hidden scars.

This kind of hidden injury is nothing when you are young, but it is very fatal when you are old!
It is only since the reform and opening up that the country's economic conditions and medical conditions have improved, allowing Qian Xuesen to live to this day, otherwise he might not have lived to this day.

But any medical method is ultimately limited.

No one wants to admit this, but they have to admit it.

Liu Tao pushed Qian Xuesen towards his home. Qian Xuesen had lived here for many years. The country had specially built a villa for him and forced him to live there. He had lived there for more than 20 years.

In the yard, there are flowers, grass, and vegetables grown by Qian Xuesen and his wife.

Liu Tao politely declined Mrs. Qian's invitation to have dinner with him and left. (End of this chapter)