Nuclear bombs are undoubtedly one of the most terrifying weapons in the modern world. In this content, we will take a step-by-step look at how these weapons work, which are quite complex and give us chills even when we just see their titles.
We also know that these weapons, which have a very complex operating principle, destroy cities. But this time, let’s imagine that we have a very advanced air defense system and that it shoots down our nuclear warhead in the air. What happens as a result?
First of all, how do nuclear bombs work?
Nuclear bombs create a huge explosion of energy by either splitting or combining the uranium or plutonium atoms inside them.
Let’s go a little deeper. As we know, inside an atomic nucleus there are particles called neutrons and protons.
Protons are charged with positive energy. Neutrons, on the other hand, are neutral, meaning they have neither positive nor negative energy. Nuclear energy is released as a result of these atoms interacting with each other. In order to remove this mass of energy inside the atom, it is necessary to look at nuclear fusion and fission events.
Nuclear fission is like the disintegration of nuclei within atoms; as a result of this process, small particles emerge. You can think of nuclear fusion as atoms coming together and dancing. Two or more small atoms combine to form a new atom in this context.
It is necessary to take a closer look at the ‘Fission’ one of these concepts.
Most nuclear bombs are generally based on the principle of fission. For the fission process, particles that are “neutral”, that is, have neither positive nor negative energy, such as neutrons, are used. These neutrons easily enter the atom and that’s when we start to see the real action.
When a neutron hits an atomic nucleus, other neutrons inside the nucleus become excited and start scattering in all directions. These scattered neutrons interact with atoms lying calmly around them. Meanwhile, all atoms ready to explode come together with neutrons and an incredible energy explosion occurs.
So what happens if we try to destroy a nuclear missile in the air while these events are about to take place?
Stopping nuclear missiles in the air is not as simple as we might imagine. But we cannot think of many alternatives other than anti-ballistic missile systems. These missiles are capable of reaching nuclear warheads before they reach the target. So let’s assume they are used.
If an anti-ballistic missile and a nuclear missile meet in the sky, it is actually very unlikely that a nuclear explosion will occur. Because, in order for a nuclear bomb to explode, the stages called fusion or fission that we have previously explained must occur in the order they should be. As we mentioned, when a collision occurs, these processes are interrupted, and the probability of a nuclear explosion decreases considerably.
But this does not mean that the danger is over. Because plutonium or uranium nuclei can pose a serious radiation hazard when they reach the ground. This causes the situation to remain lethal even though there is no explosion.
Now let’s collect them all
We can say that the probability of a nuclear explosion occurring when a nuclear missile is destroyed in the sky is really low. Because it is not possible for the complex processes required for this to be perfect during destruction. Destroying nuclear bombs in the air causes their impact on the ground surface to become quite complicated.
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