Chinese military buildup far exceeds its defensive needs: US

[Chinese-Dragon]

In case someone doesn't know what I'm implying, I will clarify. India has approximately 60 to 80 atomic (i.e. Hiroshima-sized) weapons. Each Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb is roughly equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT. 80 Indian atomic weapons x 20 kilotons = 1,600 kilotons or 1.6 megatons.

A Chinese "city-buster" thermonuclear weapon is 3 to 5 megatons alone. Therefore, a single Chinese thermonuclear warhead is more powerful than the entire Indian atomic arsenal. And yet, the troll had the gall to gratuitously proclaim that India will destroy China. That is laughable.

China has hundreds or more of thermonuclear weapons. The truth is that China could have vaporized India at any time during the last four decades. Please, no more trolls! Truth hurts, but you're making me say it by refuting your trolling.

Good post.

I wonder why India keeps only small 20kt nuclear weapons. Even India's entire arsenal could not destroy one single Chinese province.

 

[Martian2]

Good post.

I wonder why India keeps only small 20kt nuclear weapons. Even India's entire arsenal could not destroy one single Chinese province.

I can actually show with a hi-res picture that it requires roughly 3 megatons to destroy a large metropolis. Since India only has approximately 1.6 megatons in total atomic weaponry, India arguably possesses the ability to destroy one-half to one Chinese city. A Chinese province is out of the question. 20 kilotons do not inflict very much damage.

There are four caveats. Firstly, Agni II+ test failed, which shows Indian IRBM technology is still experimental. Secondly, assuming the Agni II+ is operational someday, China can use its ASAT to deprive an Indian missile of GPS guidance. Inertial guidance is more unreliable and the CEP will be much greater. Good luck trying to hit Beijing or Shanghai.

Thirdly, as below_freezing has pointed out, China can locate conventional mid-course ground-based interceptors (i.e. GBIs) in Tibet and Sichuan provinces to shoot down missiles flying overhead. Fourthly, China probably has nuclear-tipped Nike-Hercules class interceptors as well.

Finally, this discussion is entirely theoretical. There are "nearly 60 launch pads for medium-range nuclear ballistic missiles in Central China" to act as a deterrent. Attacking the world's fourth-oldest thermonuclear power with a nuclear weapon is beyond insanity.

Anyway, I chose not to post a picture of the blast radius for a 3.3 megaton thermonuclear weapon (e.g. equivalent to China's first thermonuclear test in 1967 or the warhead on a DF-3A IRBM) centered on Calcutta. The troll might take it personally and it seems politically incorrect.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Good post.

I wonder why India keeps only small 20kt nuclear weapons. Even India's entire arsenal could not destroy one single Chinese province.

We never developed nukes to wipe out the enemy.

Its MAD doctrine.

If you use,we"ll use them too.

During the Korean war:
The Indian Ambassador, Kavalam Panikkar, reports "that Truman announced that he was thinking of using the atom bomb in Korea.

Such a case was applicable to India,and we didn't want to be sitting ducks.

Regarding India-China nuclear war.

The big question is,who throw the first nuke?
Judging,both follow "no first use" policy,the chances are zero.

 

[1000VA]

In case someone doesn't know what I'm implying, I will clarify. India has approximately 60 to 80 atomic (i.e. Hiroshima-sized) weapons. Each Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb is roughly equivalent to 20 kilotons of TNT. 80 Indian atomic weapons x 20 kilotons = 1,600 kilotons or 1.6 megatons.

A Chinese "city-buster" thermonuclear weapon is 3 to 5 megatons alone. Therefore, a single Chinese thermonuclear warhead is more powerful than the entire Indian atomic arsenal. And yet, the troll had the gall to gratuitously proclaim that India will destroy China. That is laughable.

China has hundreds or more of thermonuclear weapons. The truth is that China could have vaporized India at any time during the last four decades. Please, no more trolls! Truth hurts, but you're making me say it by refuting your trolling.

Do you have any authentic source to prove your claim that all nuclear arsenals are equal or approximately 20kilotons ?
It's a very bad logic to calculate 60 x 20 = 1600

I'm posting a link from nuclearweaponarchive that too an approximate calculation.
India's Nuclear Weapons Program - Present Capabilities

There are no official figures for weapon stockpiles at any stage of development of India's arsenal. The only figures that can be offered are either explicit estimates made from considerations of India's probable ability to produce critical raw materials and considerations of likely production plans; or are unofficial statements of uncertain provenance and authenticity. To show the problems with figures of the latter sort we have only to look at the statement by K. Subrahmanyam, a leading strategic theorist, that by 1990 India had stockpiled at least two dozen unassembled weapons, versus the May 1998 estimate by G. Balachandran, an Indian nuclear researcher, that India had fewer than 10 weapons ready to be assembled and mounted on warplanes or missiles.

The types of weapons India is believed to have available for its arsenal include:

* a pure fission plutonium bomb with a yield of 12 kt;
* a fusion boosted fission bomb with a yield of 15-20 kt, made with weapon-grade ploutonium;
* a fusion boosted fission bomb design, made with reactor-grade plutonium;
* low yield pure fission plutonium bomb designs with yields from 0.1 kt to 1 kt;
* a thermonuclear bomb design with a yield of 200-300 kt.

Above report may or may not be wrong but their logic is correct that no country never going to make their all nuclear arsenals equal.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

We never developed nukes to wipe out the enemy.

Its MAD doctrine.

If you use,we"ll use them too.

MAD is Mutually Assured Destruction right... so how can MAD apply, if you are unable to "assure" the "destruction" of your opponent?

Or maybe we're just talking about unacceptable losses here.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

The estimation of nuclear destructive power:

1. Russia ~ 1,273 megaton
2. USA ~ 570 megaton
3. China ~ 294 megaton
4. France ~ 55 megaton
5. UK ~ 16 megaton
6. Israel ~ 1.5 - 4 megaton
7. India ~ 0.8 - 1 megaton
8. Pakistan ~ 0.6 - 1 megaton
9. North Korea ~ Unknown

NTI: Nuclear Disarmament

 

[siegecrossbow]

The estimation of nuclear destructive power:

1. Russia ~ 1,273 megaton
2. USA ~ 570 megaton
3. China ~ 294 megaton
4. France ~ 55 megaton
5. UK ~ 16 megaton
6. Israel ~ 1.5 - 4 megaton
7. India ~ 0.8 - 1 megaton
8. Pakistan ~ 0.6 - 1 megaton
9. North Korea ~ Unknown

NTI: Nuclear Disarmament

It appears that despite the fact that the total # of Chinese nuclear weapons are around the same as those in France and England the destructive potential of individual bombs are much higher.

 

[ChineseTiger1986]

It appears that despite the fact that the total # of Chinese nuclear weapons are around the same as those in France and England the destructive potential of individual bombs are much higher.

China possesses many more megaton busters, therefore the destructive power is much higher.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

MAD is Mutually Assured Destruction right... so how can MAD apply, if you are unable to "assure" the "destruction" of your opponent?

Or maybe we're just talking about unacceptable losses here.

No Govt is foolish enough to risk even to take a single nuke on its soil however small.

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

The estimation of nuclear destructive power:

1. Russia ~ 1,273 megaton
2. USA ~ 570 megaton
3. China ~ 294 megaton
4. France ~ 55 megaton
5. UK ~ 16 megaton
6. Israel ~ 1.5 - 4 megaton
7. India ~ 0.8 - 1 megaton
8. Pakistan ~ 0.6 - 1 megaton
9. North Korea ~ Unknown

NTI: Nuclear Disarmament

Tsar Bomba rules.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Tsar Bomba rules.

I wonder what kind of purpose the Tsar Bomba was designed for... surely it's overkill...

 

[Water Car Engineer]

Good post.

I wonder why India keeps only small 20kt nuclear weapons. Even India's entire arsenal could not destroy one single Chinese province.

I think thats better to be honest. I dont think anyone should get that much nukes. Why would you want to wiping out a Billion people...

 

[Jigs]

I wonder what kind of purpose the Tsar Bomba was designed for... surely it's overkill...

If used on a city like Paris. The yellow circle is the fireball. Red total destruction.

 

[DesiGuy]

do they still have tsar bomb??

i thought it was destroyed by themselves.

 

[applesauce]

I wonder what kind of purpose the Tsar Bomba was designed for... surely it's overkill...

it was before they realized several mirv at say, 250 kt can do more damage than a single 50 mt bomb on a city with less total radiation too. the tsar bomba was meant to be 100 mt but that would have released way too much radiation so they scaled it back for the test.