assuming the ICBM is a nuclear warhead…. Doesn’t the whole process behind a nuclear warhead involve an explosion that propels the nuclear “fuel” to start a chain reaction? i.e. exploding a warhead will essentially be the same as the explosion that causes the isotope to undergo fission?
ig the same can be said about conventional bombs as well but nuclear is more confusing.
In: Chemistry
Nuclear bombs require extreme precision to detonate properly.
The fusion reaction in a thermonuclear warhead is triggered by a fission reaction, so all nuclear weapons will involve the detonation of a fission device.
The fission reaction is triggered by detonating conventional explosives around a sphere of fissile material, usually plutonium. The explosives need to compress the plutonium sphere. The fission reaction can only happen while the plutonium sphere is compressed.
To get the conventional explosives to detonate properly, they must be ignited at many different points. Think of a soccer ball shape, but there’s an ignition device on the center of each face. An arrangement like that was used for Fat Man. If the conventional explosives are triggered by an outside device, the plutonium sphere will be blown to pieces rather than compressed.
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