AFP, Beijing :
China has tested its most powerful non-nuclear weapon, dubbed the “Mother of All Bombs” by official media in areference to a US munition used in Afghanistan.
In a short video published on the website of state arms manufacturer
Norinco, the massive bomb drops on to a plain and produces a gigantic ball of
fire and black smoke.
On social networks Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency described the bomb for the first time, calling it the “Chinese version of the ‘Mother of all Bombs'”.
The bomb – whose strength is only second to that of a nuclear weapon, according to the agency – was dropped by a Chinese H-6K bomber.
No details on the date, location or range of the bomb blast were provided.
In 2017 the US dropped the most powerful conventional bomb in its arsenal, dubbed the “MOAB” – the “Mother of All Bombs” – in an attempt to destroy a tunnel network being used by the Islamic State (IS) group in the east of Afghanistan.
US president Donald Trump said at the time he was “proud” of his troops and congratulated them on their success.
The Chinese bomb is five to six metres long (16 to 20 feet), but weighs less than the American version, according to military analyst Wei Dongxu, who was quoted by the semi-official Global Times daily on Friday.
“The massive explosion that was generated would easily wipe out land fortifications,” said Wei.
China has developed a massive bomb, said to be the country’s answer to the US-built ‘Mother of All Bombs’, the most powerful non-nuclear weapon, official media reported on Friday.
China’s defence industry giant NORINCO for the first time showcased the aerial bomb, the country’s largest non-nuclear bomb, state-run Global Times reported.
It is dubbed as the Chinese version of the “Mother of All Bombs” due to its huge destruction potential that is claimed to be only second to nuclear weapons, the daily said.
The bomb was airdropped by an H-6K bomber and caused a gigantic explosion, showed a promotional video released by China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO) on its website at the end of December.
This is the first time the new bomb’s destructive powers have been shown in public, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Last year, while waging war against militants in Afghanistan, the US military dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon, more commonly known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” on the Islamic State.
Although China is using the same nickname for its bomb, said to weigh several tonnes, the Chinese weapon is smaller and lighter than its American counterpart.
Judging from the video and the size of the H-6K’s bomb bay, the bomb is approximately five to six meters long, Beijing-based military analyst Wei Dongxu told the Global Times on Thursday.
“The massive blast can easily and completely wipe out fortified ground targets such as reinforced buildings, bastions and defence shelters,” Wei said.
It can also be used to clear a landing zone for troops on helicopters to rappel down, in case the area is covered by obstacles such as forests, Wei noted.
Wei said that the Chinese bomb is smaller and lighter than the US one, enabling it to be deployed on the H-6K bomber.
