what is a tactical nuclear weapon?

by time news

The Kremlin blows hot and cold on a possible use of atomic weapons. For several weeks, the regime of Vladimir Putin has not hesitated to brandish the nuclear threat, especially since the Ukrainian territories occupied by the Russian army have been annexed by Moscow. But while Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov openly calls for the use of atomic weapons “low power”the spokesman for the Russian presidency Dmitry Peskov tempered the ardor of the exuberant leader of this Russian republic. “In difficult times, emotions must be excluded (…) We prefer to do reviews (of the situation) measured and objective”, did he declare.

In the context of the Russian retreat in eastern and southern Ukraine, fears of seeing Vladimir Putin resort to nuclear weapons are being heard. Their use would be a first since 1945 and the American bombardments on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

A weapon for the battlefield

Russia could thus have recourse to so-called tactical atomic weapons. Unlike so-called strategic weapons, these have a reduced explosive power, ranging from 300 tons to 300 kilotons. These thresholds are essentially given as an indication, because there is no precise definition of this category of warheads.

In theory, the tactical use of such an atomic weapon would aim to target the battlefield or its rear, with the aim of clearing a front line, destroying headquarters or military bases. It can also act as a last warning before the use of more destructive strategic nuclear weapons.

Another major difference with strategic nuclear (designed for deterrence or destruction of a city from a great distance), a tactical nuclear weapon is launched from a vector with a lower range. It can thus be dropped from a bomber plane, attached to a missile or even be fired from a tank or a missile battery.

2000 tactical warheads in Russia

As the world’s leading military power, the United States currently possesses 700 to 800 tactical nuclear warheads. A hundred of these nuclear weapons are distributed in several European bases located in member countries of NATO.

“How Ukraine gave up its nuclear arsenal”

However, this remains much less than the Russian arsenal. According to several sources, it would still have some 2,000 warheads spread over some fifty military sites. At the height of the Soviet nuclear program, their number was estimated at 20,000.

Most of these weapons were developed in the 1950s during the Cold War. However, since the breakup of the Soviet bloc in 1991, the atomic powers have been gradually destroying their tactical arsenals. The reason: several States could be tempted to use these weapons of reduced power in a theater of operations, causing an escalation in the conflict that could lead to total nuclear war and the use of strategic weapons, which are much more destructive.

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