North Korean nuclear test (2017)

DPRK test 6

Test deviceNorth KoreaThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent70–280 kt

Key specs

Country: North Korea
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

North Korea’s sixth and largest nuclear test, in September 2017, announced as a hydrogen bomb for an intercontinental missile. Estimates range from about 70 to 280 kt, roughly ten times the earlier tests; some analysts think it may have been a large boosted-fission device.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 280 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 580 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 2.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 4.6 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 6.8 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 14 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

Date	Event	Site	Yield
Sep 3, 2017	North Korean nuclear test (2017)	Punggye-ri Test Site, North Korea	280 kt

Sources

2017 North Korean nuclear test, Wikipedia