SCMP: China Succeeds in Testing Non-Nuclear Hydrogen Bomb

Fireball Lasts 17 Times Longer Than TNT at Over 1,000 Degrees Celsius

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on April 21, China has succeeded in testing a hydrogen bomb without using nuclear material.

According to the report, the 705 Research Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation announced in a paper published in the academic journal "Guidance and Control of Launch Vehicles, Rockets, and Missiles," issued by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics, that it had triggered a destructive chemical chain reaction in a hydrogen-based explosive device without using nuclear material as a detonator.

The institute used magnesium hydride, which was originally developed to supply power to fuel cells, instead of nuclear material. As a result, a 2kg bomb generated a fireball (fire cloud) exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius for more than 2 seconds, according to the institute. This duration is about 17 times longer than the 0.12 seconds of TNT.

Wang Xuepeng, a researcher at the institute, stated, "The explosion is ignited with minimal energy, has a wide blast radius, and the flames rapidly spread outward. The explosion intensity can be precisely controlled, allowing for uniform destruction of targets over a wide area."

The institute evaluated that these characteristics make the device ideal for missions such as area denial. It also considered it effective for incinerating targets such as vehicles.