First glimpse of China’s terrifying ‘super bomb’: Deadly weapon is Beijing’s answer to America’s ‘Mother of All Bombs’
- New weapon is shown in a video released by state arms manufacturer Norinco
- The massive bomb is said to be China’s largest non-nuclear weapon
- It is smaller and lighter than the US-made GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast
- Military experts said the Chinese bomb could eliminate fortified ground targets
China has developed and tested a new aerial bomb, believed to be the country’s answer to the ‘Mother of All Bombs’ built by the United States.
In a promotional video published on the website of state arms manufacturer Norinco, the deadly bomb was airdropped by a H-6K strategic bomber onto a plain, producing a gigantic ball of fire and black smoke.
The video, released at the end of December, marked the first public display of the country’s most powerful non-nuclear bomb, according to state-run newspaper Global Times.
In a video released by state arms manufacturer Norinco, the deadly bomb was airdropped by a H-6K strategic bomber onto a plain, producing a gigantic ball of fire and black smoke
The massive aerial bomb is airdropped by an H-6K bomber at an unknown location in the clip
On social networks on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency referred to the bomb as the ‘Chinese version of the “Mother of all Bombs”, in comparison to the US-made GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB). The bomb can obliterate everything within a 1,000-yard radius.
In April 2017, while waging war against militants in Afghanistan, the US military dropped the nine-tonne device on an alleged Islamic State (IS) cave complex in Afghanistan, according to the New York Times.
This marked the first time the munition was used in combat. The strike was described as successful but then-Defense Secretary James Mattis declined to offer any casualty figures.
According to military experts, the Chinese weapon is smaller and lighter than its American counterpart.
An H-6K bomber conducts training exercises Chinese air force sea patrol, South China Sea. In the video, the bomb was airdropped by a H-6K strategic bomber onto a plain (file photo)
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or ‘Mother of All Bombs’, shown in this undated handout. China has just developed its own version that is said to be smaller and lighter
The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb prototype is shown moments before impact. The detonation would create a mushroom cloud that could be seen 20 miles away
Judging from the video and the size of the H-6K’s bomb bay, the bomb is approximately five to six meters long, according to Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst.
‘The massive blast can easily wipe out fortified ground targets such as reinforced buildings, bastions and defense shelters,’ Wei told the Global Times.
It can also be used to clear a landing zone for troops on helicopters to rappel down, in case the area is covered by obstacles such as forests, Wei added.
To match the US weapon, Russia developed a ‘Father of All Bombs’ which is both bigger and thermobaric, meaning it uses gas to create a huge fireball rather than a shockwave. It is said to be even more powerful than the US version.