(Almost) Everything you wanted to know about Nuclear Weapons

[Hydronium]

Shout out to Grenartia



Let's be honest, we all think the Nuclear Weapon is cool. From the fact that it is radioactive, to the sheer thought of being able to pretty much annihilate an entire city, nuclear weapons rank on the Relaive Scale of Weapon Coolness somewhere between "Space Lasers" and "Stealth Aircraft." They also, when used right, can be the centerpiece of a great RP.

But, we all have been in that one RP when someone yells out "I n00k all of yor citiez lol I winz the rp!!!1!11!1111" without even giving a second thought to what that implies. This whole rant is trying to stop that.

Part One: Types of Nuclear Weapons

Before we go anywhere else, it is important to know the types of nuclear weapons. There are two main types: Fission and Fusion; and a few other... less conventional ones that won't be described here.

FISSION BOMBS: Use fissile materials (NOT "fissionable," though fissile materials is a subset of fissionable materials) to cause a chain reaction. This chain reaction is called nuclear fission, where a nucleus is split into two smaller nuclei, a few (most of the time 3) free neutrons, and a ton of energy plus some gamma rays. If radioactive, the smaller nuclei are known as nuclear fallout. The most common isotopes for fission are Uranium 238 and Plutonium 239, while there are a myriad of nuclear isotopes found in nuclear fallout. This is the same type of bomb used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They run from a handful of Kilotons to a megaton of power.

FUSION BOMBS: Heats up two different isotopes (Protium and Deuterium) Hydrogen to incredible temperatures and fuses them into Helium. This is the same process the sun uses to generate the heat and light that warms the earth. This is incredibly hard to do, since you basically [censored by the US government]. It generates a gigantic amount of energy, though. Remember Tsar Bomba? That was a Hydrogen Bomb, but you're first try is definitely not gonna get that big. They run from five hundred kilotons to... who knows?

OTHER TYPES: Besides the Fusion and Fission bombs, there are a few other types of nuclear weapons that don't get as much attention. Neutron or Hafnium bombs release copious amounts of free neutrons that can cause major damage to surrounding structures. The neutrons come from isotopes (usually Nuclear Isomers) that are relatively unstable and neutron rich, most commonly from Hafnium and Tantallium isotopes, especially ¹⁸⁰Ta and^178m2Hf. The process at work here is called Induced Gamma Emmision. These are usually a third as powerful as a nuclear weapon.
There are also other types, but they will not be discussed here.

DIRTY BOMBS: These are by far the easiest of the nuclear weapons to make. They are essentially conventional explosives with highly radioactive bits inside that disperse out when the bomb is detonated. They leave the area around it very radioactive (think nuclear blast with just fallout). These can leave an area radioactive for years, though you can't really run your troops through a radioactive area without serious problems emerging.

STRATEGIC NUKES: These are the really big ones that you use to wipe out cities. They are harder to build than tactical nukes (discussed below), but they cause much more damage. And fallout, which leads to the fact that it would be hard to occupy a territory that you just bursted a nuke over/on.

TACTICAL NUKES: These are the smaller ones that are used in battle. They don't do as much damage as their strategic cousins, but they have their advantages, one being that they are less likely to prompt retaliation than a strategic nuke. They also have the advantage that they do not disperse as much fallout, which means that occupation of that area would be practical.

Part Two: Making Your Bomb

OK, so you understand the kinds of nuclear weapons, and have chosen one for your crazy nation to make. But alas, grasshopper, you still have far to go before you reach nuclear enlightenment. You first have to make your bomb.

I'm not gonna go to far in depth on how to actually make a nuclear weapon, but there is one thing you need to know: to be able to build a nuclear weapon, you first have to get Enriched [isotope] (for the sakes of this demonstration, let's assume you're making a Uranium weapon). To enrich Uranium (and most other isotopes), you have to spin a sample of it around really fast. This is used to seperate U235, the isotope you need, from U238, the waste isotope. The waste isotope is called Depleted Uranium (to be discussed somewhere else). All in all, it is INCREDIBLY HARD to enrich the uranium to the levels you need for your nuke.

Next, you need to build the mechanism for your bomb. The allies, during WWII, spent almost four years trying to build the bomb. Hence, you should use a reasonable amount of time to make the weapon. It is advised that in an RP, you start as a nation that just began pursuing a nuclear weapon, and then go from there. Besides, that makes for a much more interesting RP than "I n00k u lol11!11!!!"

Part Three: Deploying your bomb

(Pointed out by Grenartia and Virana) Nuclear weapons come in all shapes in sizes, from tiny nukes that can be launched from tanks or even rocket launchers, to hulking bombs that can take out cities. There are many ways to actually get a nuke to another nation, from a plane drop, to an ICBM, to a truck. But remember, each way has advantages and disadvantages.

Then there is the difference between Air and Ground Bursts. Air bursts detonate nuclear weapons while they are still in the air. This distributes the energy and fallout around a wider area, though it doesn't have as much raw power. Ground bursts are more powerful, but they don't cover as wide of an area.

Then there's the fact that if you nuke "Lamastan," and Lamastan is right next to your borders, you're gonna have some bad problems with fallout. Fallout is intensely radioactive, and if you don't think that is a problem, you obviously are gonna have a problem with radiation sickness. Also, if you have just nuked a city and then run your troops through the area, you're troops are gonna drop like flies without protection. Plus, nuking someone really isn't a good way to make friends if you're new.

Then there's a fun phenomenon called "Nuclear Winter." This is where nuclear fallout blots out sunlight, and then the global temperatures plummet. Then there's the fact that if you set the atmosphere on fire, it will affect you too. Unless if you want to have an apocalypse on your hands, you should make your nuke strikes FEW and far between. I'd say 2 max before you start wishing you had more fossil fuels to heat up the atmosphere with.

Step Four: How not to ruin it

So, you've RP'd your nation building a nuclear weapon, and you've positioned it to attack Lamastan, there is still time to ruin it. One is if you use 9000 nukes at one time. First off, the resulting radiation doesn't leave you much to colonise, plus there is no way in hell that you're gonna be able to build more than 3 nukes at a time. Yes, I know that Russia has 16000 nukes, but you aren't Russia. I'd say, you should have a 100 nuke stockpile tops.

Then there's the fact that if you start pursuing a nuclear programme, Lamastan is too. You can either attack him conventionally, or send in spies to thwart him. (But with the spies, you aren't going to one shot destroy his nuclear programme.). Also, if you do that, Lamastan's gonna do it also, and it'll either turn into a gnarled mess or a fascinating RP, depending on how it's handled.

Also, be sure that both sides know that you have nuclear intentions. Among other things, bad communications in nuclear strikes can cause Mutually Assured Destruction when the other guy gets mad and nukes you, and the Ignore Cannon being used on you.

Fusion bombs use a fission detonation to compress the hydrogen isotopes down to a point where they begin to fuse.

Hafnium bombs are theoretical at this point, but if the energy from the isomers could be harnessed, in theory, it could be used to produce a pure fusion weapon.

Neutron bombs are different from Hafnium bombs, in that they have been achieved, and are usually fission-fusion in design, but with the X-ray mirrors made of a neutron-transparent material, so as to allow said neutrons to escape. This allows neutron bombs to emit around 10 times the amount of neutrons than a standard nuclear weapon of the same yield. Neutron bombs are intended to focus more on killing people than destroying targets, and are generally of a lower explosive yield than other nukes, though the damage is not negligible, since the yields are usually in the kiloton range. They were initially developed as a way to kill tank crews in massed columns, as the metal armor would protect against most other forms of radiation, while neutron radiation is insidious in that it will render the metal armor radioactive, thus guaranteeing lethal exposure.

Nuking a city won't kill everybody inside it. A nuke detonated in the lower atmosphere will usually have the following energy distribution:
-Blast—40–50% of total energy
-Thermal radiation—30–50% of total energy
-Ionizing radiation—5% of total energy (though up to 50% in a neutron bomb)
-Residual radiation—5–10% of total energy

Generally, the denser the medium in which you're detonating, the more powerful the blast wave will be, though at the cost of limiting its radius.

Mushroom clouds are generally only seen in lower atmospheric detonations, where the fireball interacts with the ground.

Most non-reinforced or blast-resistant buildings will suffer damage and/or be destroyed when subjected to 5-10 psi of pressure (though buildings directly beneath the point of detonation in an airbust have a good chance of remaining standing, as will most buildings designed to survive an earthquake). Your average person CAN survive this, so there will almost certainly be survivors of any city that gets nuked. Though they will probably not survive unscathed. Typical injuries to expect from survivors of the blast would be: burst eardrums, blindness, various forms of trauma from objects hitting the body, other injuries associated with pressure, and obviously, burns (due to the extreme amounts of visible, IR, and UV light produced by the explosion).

Though many will survive, many will not. For rough estimates, assume that 50% of the total casualties in the affected area at the time will die within the first 24 hours, with the rest dying in the next few months afterwards. These numbers were seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the Hiroshima health department, of those who died on the day of detonation, 60% died from flash/flame burns, 30% from flying and falling debris, and 10% from other causes. For next few months afterwards, the biggest killers were the effects of the burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries compounded by illnesses. US estimates put the distribution at 20-30%, 15-20%, and 50-60%, for the respective causes.

The symptoms of Acute Radiation Syndrome (aka: Radiation sickness), fall into three broad categories, and include: Hematopoietic: aplastic anemia (drop in the number of blood cells), which can lead to infections, bleeding, and anemia. These symptoms can complicate injuries directly resulting from a blast, and can be apparent with doses as low as 0.25 Gy, though they might not be felt below 1 Gy; Gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain, the onset of which within around two hours of exposure usually indicates a lethal dose, and usually occurs with doses of 6-30 Gy; Neurovascular: dizziness, headache, and decreased level of consciousness. Usually occurs with doses greater than 30 Gy, but can occur with doses as low as 10 Gy, and has an onset very quickly (within minutes to a few hours), and with an absence of vomiting. Is almost always fatal.

One of the most dangerous fallout isotopes is Iodine-131 (a major fission product of both Uranium and Plutonium), which can be absorbed into the thyroid gland and will cause much damage once there. Its recommended to avoid exposure for approximately ten of its half lives, or about 80 days. Potassium iodide is also an effective way to keep the body from absorbing I-131.

Nuclear winter is probably not as likely as once thought, due to the lack of density of combustible materials in modern cities, combined with their relative rarity (only one nuclear-induced firestorm has ever been recorded, and that was the bombing of Hiroshima). In order for a firestorm to form, an area needs to have 40kg of combustibles per square meter. The explanation for how nuclear winter would occur depends on extremely high temperature soot from firestorms being lofted into the upper atmosphere, and blocking out the sun, in similar manner to an impact winter or volcanic winter. Similar predictions were made regarding Iraqi oil wells prior to and during the First Gulf War, but did not pan out, because the smoke could not reach the stratosphere.

Further reading and more in-depth coverage of the topics covered can be found in the following sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_warfare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_bomb
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_radiation_syndrome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-131#Tre ... prevention
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_o ... man_health
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firestorm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_winter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_o ... explosions

To conclude: Don't use nukes, but if you do, make it as limited and detailed in the making as possible.

[Hydronium]

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Post them here!

[Gyrenaica]

why hello there!

[Marsisian]

Well, I rarely use nukes. But I will someday....and it will be one of our largest.

[Big Brain City]

Let's be honest, we all think the Nuclear Weapon is cool. From the fact that it is radioactive, to the sheer thought of being able to pretty much annihilate an entire city, nuclear weapons rank on the Relaive Scale of Weapon Coolness somewhere between "Space Lasers" and "Stealth Aircraft." They also, when used right, can be the centerpiece of a great RP.

But, we all have been in that one RP when someone yells out "I n00k all of yor citiez lol I winz the rp!!!1!11!1111" without even giving a second thought to what that implies. This whole rant is trying to stop that.

Part One: Types of Nuclear Weapons

Before we go anywhere else, it is important to know the types of nuclear weapons. There are two main types: Fission and Fusion; and a few other... less conventional ones that won't be described here.

FISSION BOMBS: Use fissile materials (NOT "fissionable," though fissile materials is a subset of fissionable materials) to cause a chain reaction. This chain reaction is called nuclear fission, where a nucleus is split into two smaller nuclei, a few (most of the time 3) free neutrons, and a ton of energy plus some gamma rays. If radioactive, the smaller nuclei are known as nuclear fallout. The most common isotopes for fission are Uranium 238 and Plutonium 239, while there are a myriad of nuclear isotopes found in nuclear fallout. This is the same type of bomb used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They run from a handful of Kilotons to a megaton of power.

FUSION BOMBS: Heats up two different isotopes (Protium and Deuterium) Hydrogen to incredible temperatures and fuses them into Helium. This is the same process the sun uses to generate the heat and light that warms the earth. This is incredibly hard to do, since you basically [censored by the US government]. It generates a gigantic amount of energy, though. Remember Tsar Bomba? That was a Hydrogen Bomb, but you're first try is definitely not gonna get that big. They run from five hundred kilotons to... who knows?

Part Two: Making Your Bomb

OK, so you understand the kinds of nuclear weapons, and have chosen one for your crazy nation to make. But alas, grasshopper, you still have far to go before you reach nuclear enlightenment. You first have to make your bomb.

I'm not gonna go to far in depth on how to actually make a nuclear weapon, but there is one thing you need to know: to be able to build a nuclear weapon, you first have to get Enriched [isotope] (for the sakes of this demonstration, let's assume you're making a Uranium weapon). To enrich Uranium (and most other isotopes), you have to spin a sample of it around really fast. This is used to seperate U235, the isotope you need, from U238, the waste isotope. The waste isotope is called Depleted Uranium (to be discussed somewhere else). All in all, it is INCREDIBLY HARD to enrich the uranium to the levels you need for your nuke.

Next, you need to build the mechanism for your bomb. The allies, during WWII, spent almost four years trying to build the bomb. Hence, you should use a reasonable amount of time to make the weapon. It is advised that in an RP, you start as a nation that just began pursuing a nuclear weapon, and then go from there. Besides, that makes for a much more interesting RP than "I n00k u lol11!11!!!"

Part Three: Deploying your bomb

Before I say anything, you should know that a nuclear weapon is a very large bomb. Hence, you aren't going to have, say, a tank that spits nuclear bombs as shells, nor a fighter bomber.

You might be wondering how you're nation is going to deploy the bomb, then. To do this, you need a gigantic aircraft, something like a B2 or the like. The problem with this is that radar could easily see the hulking craft and shoot it down before it got anywhere where it could do any damage.

There is another way to attack another nation with a nuclear weapon, though, the ever-infamous ICBM. Still, it could be easily detected and shot down. How you'll get past this problem is going to be sown from your imagination, though stealthn00ks are generally considered bad taste.

Then there's the fact that if you nuke "Lamastan," and Lamastan is right next to your borders, you're gonna have some bad problems with fallout. Fallout is intensily radioactive, and if you don't think that is a problem, you obviously are gonna have a problem with radiation sickness. Also, if you have just nuked a city and then run your troops through the area, you're troops are gonna drop like flies without protection. Plus, nuking someone really isn't a good way to make friends if your new.

Then there's a fun phenomenon called "Nuclear Winter." This is where nuclear fallout blots out sunlight, and then the global temperatures plummet. Unless if you want to have an apocalypse on your hands, you should make your nuke strikes FEW and far between. I'd say 2 max before you start wishing you had more fossil fuels to heat up the atmosphere with.

Step Four: How not to ruin it

So, you've RP'd your nation building a nuclear weapon, and you've positioned it to attack Lamastan, there is still time to ruin it. One is if you use 9000 nukes at one time. First off, the resulting radiation doesn't leave you much to colonise, plus there is no way in hell that you're gonna be able to build more than 3 nukes at a time. Yes, I know that Russia has 16000 nukes, but you aren't Russia. I'd say, you should have a 100 nuke stockpile tops.

Then there's the fact that if you start pursuing a nuclear programme, Lamastan is too. You can either attack him conventionally, or send in spies to thwart him. (But with the spies, you aren't going to one shot destroy his nuclear programme.). Also, if you do that, Lamastan's gonna do it also, and it'll either turn into a gnarled mess or a fascinating RP, depending on how it's handled.

To conclude: Don't use nukes, but if you do, make it as limited and detailed in the making as possible.

Those example newcomer posts are funny.
Anyways, this ought to be interesting. I don't use nukes except when I want to unleash an assault on a planet or enemy fleet. Instead, we use lasers, coilguns and missiles. Some of the coilguns are planet-killers.
I know this is MT, but I still wanted to comment. I don't intend to troll or flame.

[United Soviet Jason Republic]

Do you want to go on about Salted Weapons or talk about how Fusion bombs work? I mean i know how it works, and i don't think the government will care if you make it an energy lesson.

[Hydronium]

Well, I rarely use nukes. But I will someday....and it will be one of our largest.

Remember: the larger the nuke, the larger the effects on your nation as well. For example, Russia once Perseus nukes larger that tsar bomba, but they stopped because there was a good chance it would VAPORIZE THE ATMOSPHERE, which is bad for everyone.

[Hydronium]

Do you want to go on about Salted Weapons or talk about how Fusion bombs work? I mean i know how it works, and i don't think the government will care if you make it an energy lesson.

I should have probably put that in the post, but I'm on my phone. Noted for tomorrow, though.

[Marsisian]

Well, I rarely use nukes. But I will someday....and it will be one of our largest.

Remember: the larger the nuke, the larger the effects on your nation as well. For example, Russia once Perseus nukes larger that tsar bomba, but they stopped because there was a good chance it would VAPORIZE THE ATMOSPHERE, which is bad for everyone.

Ah. Well, then I
l'll use a small nuke to vaporize their capital city instead, then.

[Satanic Socialist States]

Well, I rarely use nukes. But I will someday....and it will be one of our largest.

Well, I do hope for the sake of your budget that we won't be your target. Good luck finding a nuclear weapon that will reach our subterranean city 5km underground.

[Marsisian]

Well, I rarely use nukes. But I will someday....and it will be one of our largest.

Well, I do hope for the sake of your budget that we won't be your target. Good luck finding a nuclear weapon that will reach our subterranean city 5km underground.

Oh, you will. And we'll use Bunker Busters to try and open the path up. Plus, our puppet, Satanic Capitalist States, will help us.

[The Fascist American Empire]

And you know step-by-step how to make a nuclear weapon, how?

[Satanic Socialist States]

Well, I do hope for the sake of your budget that we won't be your target. Good luck finding a nuclear weapon that will reach our subterranean city 5km underground.

Oh, you will. And we'll use Bunker Busters to try and open the path up. Plus, our puppet, Satanic Capitalist States, will help us.

Good luck, I will vaporize your entire county before you come close to reaching 5km underground.

[Regnum Dominae]

And you know step-by-step how to make a nuclear weapon, how?

...it's all over the internet, easily accessible to anyone who wants to know.

[Marsisian]

Oh, you will. And we'll use Bunker Busters to try and open the path up. Plus, our puppet, Satanic Capitalist States, will help us.

Good luck, I will vaporize your entire county before you come close to reaching 5km underground.

No, you won't. Because your economy is inferior to us in every way. You don't have enough money to make a nuke, and to wipe us out.

[Hydronium]

Remember: the larger the nuke, the larger the effects on your nation as well. For example, Russia once Perseus nukes larger that tsar bomba, but they stopped because there was a good chance it would VAPORIZE THE ATMOSPHERE, which is bad for everyone.

Ah. Well, then I
l'll use a small nuke to vaporize their capital city instead, then.

Another bad thing to do. For one, shooting something at their Capitol makes it more likely to be intercepted. Plus, vaporizing the capital means that there is nothing left to command the armies. This makes it so that not only will everyone hate you, so no territory gains, and also it means that their POWs of your troops will probably have unspeakable things done to them, since the crueler members will be more likely to take power.
So: I'd nuke a large but vestigial city.

[United Soviet Jason Republic]

Oh, you will. And we'll use Bunker Busters to try and open the path up. Plus, our puppet, Satanic Capitalist States, will help us.

Good luck, I will vaporize your entire county before you come close to reaching 5km underground.

But wait! If you do, what about Doomsday! Im looking at you Dr. Strangleove.

[Marsisian]

Ah. Well, then I
l'll use a small nuke to vaporize their capital city instead, then.

Another bad thing to do. For one, shooting something at their Capitol makes it more likely to be intercepted. Plus, vaporizing the capital means that there is nothing left to command the armies. This makes it so that not only will everyone hate you, so no territory gains, and also it means that their POWs of your troops will probably have unspeakable things done to them, since the crueler members will be more likely to take power.
So: I'd nuke a large but vestigial city.

Damn. Like nuking New York City instead of Washington D.C.?

[Hydronium]

Oh, you will. And we'll use Bunker Busters to try and open the path up. Plus, our puppet, Satanic Capitalist States, will help us.

Good luck, I will vaporize your entire county before you come close to reaching 5km underground.

That's god modding if I ever saw it.

[United Soviet Jason Republic]

Another bad thing to do. For one, shooting something at their Capitol makes it more likely to be intercepted. Plus, vaporizing the capital means that there is nothing left to command the armies. This makes it so that not only will everyone hate you, so no territory gains, and also it means that their POWs of your troops will probably have unspeakable things done to them, since the crueler members will be more likely to take power.
So: I'd nuke a large but vestigial city.

Damn. Like nuking New York City instead of Washington D.C.?

Well New York city has a lot more people and... well i'd live in the fallout zone so no thank you. Speaking of New York though you might want to check that other thread... I'll stop it there.

[The Fascist American Empire]

And you know step-by-step how to make a nuclear weapon, how?

...it's all over the internet, easily accessible to anyone who wants to know.

Now I just need weapons grade plutonium and world domination is mine.

[Hydronium]

Another bad thing to do. For one, shooting something at their Capitol makes it more likely to be intercepted. Plus, vaporizing the capital means that there is nothing left to command the armies. This makes it so that not only will everyone hate you, so no territory gains, and also it means that their POWs of your troops will probably have unspeakable things done to them, since the crueler members will be more likely to take power.
So: I'd nuke a large but vestigial city.

Damn. Like nuking New York City instead of Washington D.C.?

Is recommend something like Atlanta: major airport and distribution center, but the nation can still put up a fight. Plus, you take out some military bases and a few million too. A nuke in NYC would be slowed down by the skyscrapers with no real tactical advantage.

[Marsisian]

Damn. Like nuking New York City instead of Washington D.C.?

Well New York city has a lot more people and... well i'd live in the fallout zone so no thank you. Speaking of New York though you might want to check that other thread... I'll stop it there.

Nuking NYC instead of WDC is much easier.

[Hydronium]

Also, plz legit conversations in this thread only.

[Satanic Socialist States]

Good luck, I will vaporize your entire county before you come close to reaching 5km underground.

No, you won't. Because your economy is inferior to us in every way. You don't have enough money to make a nuke, and to wipe us out.

Clearly you heven't checked my economy. I have a heavily subsidized 96/100 econmoy, you on the other hand only have 80/100. http://www.nstracker.net/compare.php?page=economics&nation=satanic_socialist_states&nation2=marsisian

Also, how big a nuke would you recommend I use? I can handle a few months of nuclear winter, but nothing longer than that.