Can anyone tell me how an atomic bomb released?

Question

Do they have ppl flying planes and dropping missles? with the impact of the bomb, wouldn't it killed the person who's dropping the bomb? .......This may sound like a stupid question but i was surprised that no one in my office knows the answer.

Answer 1

The time from weapons release to the primary blast wave hitting a strategic bomber is the question that you are asking. I don't know why those above brought up the ICBMs, tactical nukes and other delivery systems.

Within a millisecond after detonation, the diameter of the fireball from a 1 megaton air burst is 150 m. This increases to a maximum of 2200 m within 10 seconds, at which time the fireball is also rising at the rate of 100 m/sec. The initial rapid expansion of the fireball severely compresses the surrounding atmosphere, producing a powerful blast wave. The primary blast wave travels at approx a speed of around 30km/s, which is 100 times faster than the speed of sound.

The 390 or so B-52s and 21 or so B-2 strategic bombers have speeds up to 700 km/hr (at least for the B-2s). I don't have my calculator, but the distance from release to initial impact of the primary blast wave can be computed. Suffice it so say, the bomber crews will be miles away at the time of detonation, altho they will still feel the blast wave..

They'll need to block the view of the detonation as the air becomes ionized and has a brilliance that is many times brighter than the sun,

Answer 2

The bombs are typically released from an aircraft or deployed via Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). As a matter of fact, the safety of pilots dropping the bombs from planes was a real concern when the first 2 were detonated during WWII, especially because nuclear bombs are detonated before they reach the ground (see below). Modern warplanes are much faster and have the ability to leave the scene or deploy the bomb as a missile. Most modern nuclear weapons are ICBMs. A nuclear blast also creates an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) that will destroy electronic equipment in relatively the same manner a lightning strike will destroy a computer without a surge protector.

In order to maximize the blast area, nuclear bombs detonate above the ground. Remember the blast zone is a sphere. If it were detonated on the ground, half of the bomb's effective power would be directed into making a large crater vs creating an above-ground blast wave.

Answer 3

The first atomic bombs were dropped from airplanes over Japan, These airplanes were very high up and the bombs were set to blow up a number of thousands of feet over the ground, but while they were falling the plane had a chance to get out of the critical area.

Today Atomic bombs would be delivered by Guided missle, they are more poerful than the original bomb, and the intercontinental ballistic missles carry a few bombs, shorter range cruise missle would only have one each, but with missles there is no crew to worry about.

Answer 4

Nuclear weapons can be delivered in several ways.

Bombs dropped from planes, land based bombs, a number of different missiles from a wide variety of platforms.

"Tactical" nuclear weapons can be much smaller and deployed to destroy single or small groups of targets.

The size of the nuclear weapon determines the radius of the initial blast and heat waves. The only requirement for the unit delivering the device is for them to be outside of a certain radius before the waves either overtake them or dissipate.

This is easily accomplished by adjusting altitude, and the flight characteristics of the bomb, when delivered by airplane. Since acceleration due to gravity is constant, the time before impact or detonation can easily be calculated and adjustments made to the weapon to slow the rate of descent, if necessary.

During the early years of atomic testing, before the effects of large doses of radiation were documented, many observers were stationed very close to the blasts.

The greatest danger is not the destruction caused by the blast. The damage will be severe, but not outside of a certain distance.

Even for a large 25 megaton air blast, the center zone of destruction will only be about 14 miles in diameter.

Easily out run by even a conventional aircraft, and absolutely no problem for the jets that will deliver these weapons today.

Answer 5

Both Atomic bombs were dropped from high altitudes. The atomic weapons today could not be done like that. But the small yield nuclear device these bombs were not that powerful to travel so far. Remember if you are 2 miles above ground when you drop it. Even if your right over it it has to travel two miles just to hit you. and if you turn after the bomb is dropped you will be going a different direction as the bomb. Widening the miles it has to go to hit you. the nuclear bombs of today also explode yards above land and not when they hit the ground.

Answer 6

"Fat Boy", the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima by the "Enola Gay" on August 6, 1945. The bomb exploded 2000 ft above the surface, instantly destroyed a mile-radius. Ultimately, 135,000 died from the affects of the initial blast & of radiation poisoning/exposure. The plane turned away from the blast and kept its underside adjacent to the mushroom cloud because the sound waves shook the bomber violently. They flew in the same direction as the sound waves were projected. Bit, that didn't prevent them from taking photos of the mushroom cloud.

Answer 7

Wow this is pretty simple a bomber can about 600-1000km per an hour so it pretty much zoomed outta the area.

Really they would drop the A-Bomb, and run like **** kind like dynamite but they are alread high enough to survive the explosion and live, they go very very high

They meaning the Bombers *note only a few planes are actually built to drop nukes and only the a few types of planes are actually gonna drop any

Answer 8

Yes, they do.

There are several methods- I'm assuming you're not talking about ICBMs or SLBMs or even bomber-carried Cruise Missiles.

When you drop a gravity bomb, you can toss it (pitch up to throw it like an underhanded pitch, then roll away, dive, and run like a bunny), use a parachute to slow down it's fall while you run like a bunny, or drop it from high altitude - which exposes you to SAMs and fighters. Some have delayed fusing as well.

The US gravity nuclear bomb (B53 and B61) has several different delivery modes. See the 2nd article below for more info on the B61.

Orion

Answer 9

well the ones dropped on Japan were released from a B29 bombers. They flew to high and fast but I am sure they got some shock waves.

Answer 10

surely, the concept is that nuclear blasts will make contributions to worldwide COOLING. reason being is that the blasts will via lots airborne dirt and dust into the air that it's going to block potential from the solar from accomplishing the earth's floor.