Considering Israel and the US are bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities because they have “weapons of mass destruction”, if Iran really did have such weapons, wouldn’t bombing the facilities they’re held in cause them to explode, or cause an evident ripple at least? I may be imagining this in a way cartoonier way than military weapons actually work, but I’m preparing myself for some incredibly annoying debates.

  • _cryptagion [he/him]
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    5218 days ago

    A nuclear bomb requires precise explosions delivered by shaped charges to achieve fission. You could strap C4 to the sides of a nuke and set them off, and you probably wouldn’t create a nuclear explosion. It’s a very delicate kind of weapon with very sophisticated engineering.

    • @[email protected]
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      2518 days ago

      And even “precise” would be understating it. Not only is a specific shape of the detonation required, but timing is crucial too. Otherwise you’ll end up with a fizzle.

      But yes, the main concern is nuclear contamination in the target area.

      • @[email protected]
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        1518 days ago

        Newer devices have been designed and made in the decades since.
        Are cars more sophisticated today then they were in the 1940s?

        • @[email protected]
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          217 days ago

          Yeah, but because of nonproliferation, I don’t think we were making any new ones and haven’t been designing them for quite some time

          • HubertManne
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            117 days ago

            not sure if anything more than hydrogen bombs are needed. Next would be like matter antimatter.

          • AmidFuror
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            818 days ago

            Well, if they existed and didn’t use precise detonation, they wouldn’t work.

          • @[email protected]
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            317 days ago

            Well, they’re working with China, so probably more sophisticated than ours at this point. Designs anyway, maybe not having any functional.