Russia reveals new superbomb
Wednesday, 12 Sep 2007 11:24
Moscow says the bomb does not break any existing treaties
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Russia has acquired what it is calling the "father of all bombs".
A military spokesperson said yesterday that it had developed a vacuum bomb which creates a pressure wave, temperature and blast area comparable to that of a nuclear weapon.
Officials are insisting that the bomb does not break any existing weapons treaties and say its lack of environmental contamination when compared with the residual radioactivity after a nuclear bomb makes it a greener type of explosion.
They claim the bomb is not intended to trigger a new arms race, despite pointing out that the bomb is four times more powerful than the US' 'mother of all bombs' device.
"It is environmentally friendly, compared to a nuclear bomb, and it will enable us to ensure national security and at the same time stand up to international terrorism in any part of the globe and in any situation," Alexander Rushkin, deputy chief of the Russian armed forces' general staff, was quoted as saying by the Novosti news agency.
A demonstration of the bomb's destructive effect was aired on state television yesterday evening.
The move follows the resumption of long-range bomber patrols by Russian aircraft for the first time since a post-Soviet suspension in 1992.
Russian president Vladimir Putin said the move was necessary because other states had failed to cease similar flights.