Washington, DC: The estimated death toll from the explosion would be over 360,000, and a further 613,000 in the region would be injured.
Our Supreme Court, the White House, the US Capitol building, and the Lincoln Memorial would all be toppled, with an area of near-total destruction stretching across to Georgetown, the RFK Stadium, Ronald Reagan Washington Airport, and Columbia Heights.
Most of the city would suffer from third-degree burns, while a light blast radius would expand past the city limits and into the surrounding states.
The government has said that the new weapon will not add to the total number of nuclear weapons in the US stockpile but will instead replace some of the warheads it’s also producing with a newer model.
At 50 kilotons, it has a far less yield than its larger-scale counterparts and was designed for strategic or tactical strikes. The B61-7 and its successor are intended primarily as nuclear barriers.
The Federation of American Scientists, a group dedicated to lessening nuclear weapons, defined the B61-13 as “a political nuclear bomb.”
In a report published just after the announcement of it, the group claimed that the development was likely “a political maneuver to get rid of the B83-1 finally” and that “the military doesn’t need an additional, more powerful gravity bomb.”
For more on this topic, Amazon has a fantastic read: Nuclear Bomb Survival Tactics: Expert Guide: Surviving and Thriving in the Face of Nuclear Catastrophe: Essential Strategies from a Leading Survivalist
What are YOUR thoughts on the possibility of nuclear bombs? Be sure to share your thoughts with our readers in the comments section below.
And if you found this post interesting, Devastating Disasters recommend you also read: 7 Devastating Volcanic Eruptions That Reshaped the World
