Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Pentagon Document Confirms Existence of Russian Doomsday Torpedo (popularmechanics.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the hi-there dept.

Popular Mechanics reports that "a key U.S. nuclear weapons document confirms that the Russian government is developing the most powerful nuclear weapon in more than a half century...a 'new intercontinental, nuclear-armed undersea autonomous torpedo'" with a range of 6,200 miles. But what really makes "Kanyon" nightmare fuel is the drone torpedo's payload: a 100-megaton thermonuclear weapon. By way of comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 16 kilotons, or the equivalent of 16,000 tons of TNT. Kanyon's nuke would be the equivalent of 100,000,000 tons of TNT. That's twice as powerful as Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear weapon ever tested. Dropped on New York City, a 100-megaton bomb would kill 8 million people outright and injure 6 million more.

Kanyon is designed to attack coastal areas, destroying cities, naval bases, and ports. The mega-bomb would also generate an artificial tsunami that would surge inland, spreading radioactive contamination with the advancing water. To make matters worse there are reports the warhead is "salted" with the radioactive isotope Cobalt-60. Contaminated areas would be off-limits to humanity for up to 100 years.
Slashdot reader schwit1 adds that "being sea-based makes it immune to ballistic missile defense."

5 of 375 comments (clear)

  1. Can It Get Past Sharks With Laserbeams? by dryriver · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can it?

    --
    Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Elon Musk put an AI chip in its head.
  2. A great leap backwards by harvey+the+nerd · · Score: 4, Funny

    WTF is going over there, Vlad ? Are you guys having some kind of retro movie festival (Dr Strangelove, Wargames, On the Beach) with free vodka and meth ?

    Large exchanges of salted weapons is mindlessly catastrophic.

    1. Re:A great leap backwards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Exactly, this is America's fault.

      Did Russia invade and annex the Crimea? No. It was America.

      Was MH17 shot down by a Russian missile? No. It was American.

      Has Russia violated numerous trade encumbrances with North Korea? No. America has.

      Has Russia provided North Korea with nuclear missile technology? No. It's all American.

      Does Russia have a troll farm trying to exploit divisions in rival countries in an effort to destabilize them? No. That's the American way.

      Exactly this, this is Russia's fault.

      Did America invade Afghanistan and bomb it to the stone ages? No. It was Russia.

      Did America invade Iraq which led to the spread of Al-Qaida, Al-Nusra, ISIS, Al-Fuckedup? No, It was Russia.

      Did America arm the Syrian rebels that led to the "Nightmare State"? No, it was Russia.

      Does America elect an smelly turd as president? No, it was Russia!

  3. Re:first leaked by Russian television in November by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 5, Funny

    leaked by Russian television in November 201

    Old news indeed!

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  4. Re: Murphy's Law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I planted one too at about the same time as you and ever since then I can't get rid of the god damned elephants!

    What's your secret??