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Test No. 21 (DF-5 warhead)

Test No. 21
Test deviceChinaThermonuclear (staged)
No freely licensed photo of this device yet.
Yield · TNT equivalent4 Mt

Key specs

Country
China
Design
Thermonuclear (staged)
Type
Test device
Number built
1

Overview

The largest Chinese nuclear test, about 4 Mt, an air-dropped thermonuclear device in November 1976 associated with the warhead of the DF-5 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 4 Mt

Fireball, maximum radius
≈ 1.7 km
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv)
≈ 4.1 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse
≈ 11 km
Thermal: third-degree burns
≈ 20 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter
≈ 35 km

Estimated ground ranges for an air burst at the optimum height over flat, open ground, computed from the yield with standard scaling laws. These are not measurements: real effects depend on the height of burst, terrain, buildings and weather.

Formulas from: Glasstone & Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977), chapter II; Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons FAQ, section 5

Tests and use

DateEventSiteYield
Nov 17, 1976Test No. 21 (DF-5 warhead)Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China4 Mt

Sources

  1. List of nuclear weapons tests of China, Wikipedia