#1395 - The nuclear balance is broken?

The situation appeared tense.

However, a real war didn't break out.

American warships were kept outside, and both sides engaged in friendly talks, even fishing together.

During this time, Panshan Group publicly unveiled its nuclear-powered aircraft for the first time. The nuclear-powered aircraft conducted a long-distance, 55,000-kilometer intercontinental cruise, shocking the world.

Nuclear-powered aircraft were a familiar yet strange type of aircraft.

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union, in order to gain a military advantage over each other, formulated a series of crazy weapon development plans. Nuclear-powered aircraft could be described as 'the craziest of the crazy'.

For example, the American NB-36H, and the Soviet Union's Tu-119!

However, the issue of nuclear radiation protection from the reactors plagued both the United States and the Soviet Union. In addition, both sides already possessed intercontinental ballistic missiles, making nuclear-powered aircraft seem redundant. Therefore, both abandoned their nuclear-powered aircraft development plans.

But now, Panshan Group had secretly developed a nuclear-powered aircraft and was even conducting a long-distance, 55,000-kilometer intercontinental cruise.

The chain reaction caused by this was extremely terrifying.

American aviation experts couldn't understand how Panshan Group solved the nuclear radiation problem of the reactor.

It should be known that for an aircraft with such a long flight time, the cumulative effect of radiation is very large.

Even more terrifying was that the nuclear-powered aircraft unveiled by Panshan Group cruised at supersonic speeds of Mach 2.5 in the high altitude.

Such a high speed meant that interception would be very difficult.

Not to mention that this nuclear-powered aircraft possessed strong air combat capabilities and could intercept missiles and aircraft.

When did China develop nuclear-powered aircraft, how many nuclear-powered aircraft did they develop, and how many nuclear-powered aircraft did they equip?

Countless questions plagued everyone.

That nuclear-powered aircraft conducting the public flight was like the Sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head, making those who wanted to take risks feel a deep chill.

No one who could become a decision-maker was truly a fool.

Ordinary people only saw a nuclear-powered aircraft, but they saw more and had more to consider.

Ordinary people could watch the excitement, but they couldn't.

This thing belonged to strategic-level weaponry, and its purpose was to drop nuclear warheads on their heads at the first opportunity.

This was definitely the kind of thing that would keep them up at night, even causing nightmares, nightmares in which this nuclear-powered aircraft broke through layers of defense systems and then dropped a nuclear warhead on their location, causing a mushroom cloud to rise.

In the past, a terrifying nuclear balance had formed between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The so-called nuclear balance refers to a state of equilibrium of power between countries in the field of nuclear weapons, in which the nuclear forces of the United States and the Soviet Union mutually restrain each other. With the existence of nuclear weapons, the United States and the Soviet Union prevented each other from using nuclear weapons by possessing sufficient nuclear counterattack capabilities, thereby maintaining a fragile state of peace. In this state, neither side dared to launch a nuclear attack lightly, because this could lead to the other side's nuclear counterattack, which in turn would trigger disastrous consequences. The stability of the nuclear balance depends on a variety of factors, including the quantity, quality, delivery means, command and control systems of nuclear weapons, as well as the decision-making will of the country.

It's just that now, it is almost impossible for countries and regions outside the five permanent members to possess nuclear weapons.

Once a country is detected to be starting to develop nuclear weapons, it will be subject to a joint international boycott. If it is stubborn, it may encounter military action.

Unless this country has sufficient military power to withstand the worst-case scenario and ultimately develop nuclear weapons even in the worst-case scenario.

And if it can do this, then it will definitely be qualified to have a say in regional affairs.

The five permanent members also have their own development directions in terms of nuclear power.

Russia has the largest scale and the largest number of nuclear warheads. What it pursues is that when using nuclear weapons, the enemy's defense system cannot stop it. What it pursues is mutual destruction. If I can't live, you can't think of living either.

Although the United Kingdom now possesses nuclear weapons, the missiles that serve as launch vehicles are American. The use of nuclear weapons requires the consent of the Americans. If the Americans do not agree, then the United Kingdom cannot use nuclear weapons. Other countries have a triad of nuclear strike capabilities, that is, through land-based missiles, submarine-launched missiles, and strategic bombers. The United Kingdom has long been unable to do this, because the United Kingdom no longer has strategic bombers, and the missiles that serve as carriers are American.

France does have a triad of nuclear strike capabilities, but it is only in a broad sense, because the nuclear warheads carried by French bombers can only strike Moscow, but cannot strike New York. France's nuclear strategy is self-preservation. If anyone dares to throw nuclear warheads on France's head, France will throw nuclear warheads at Russia, affecting the whole world through Russia's nuclear strategy.

Since the 1990s, the United States has been working hard to establish a national strategic defense force, thereby weakening the threat of other countries' strategic bombers and missiles, and forming its own nuclear advantage.

For a long time, China has pursued nuclear asymmetry. There is no way, there is no quantity, no quality, so we can only pursue asymmetry to deter those with ulterior motives. The number of nuclear warheads is also absolutely confidential. Whoever comes to ask will answer 'enough'.

As a result, after so many years, China has truly achieved 'enough' and inherited some of the ideas of the United States, truly realizing them.

No one has the confidence to penetrate China's defense system!

China now has both sharp spears that can penetrate the shields of other countries and strong shields that can defend against the spears of other countries.

If China were not truly pursuing peace, the world pattern would have undergone earth-shattering changes long ago.

Just as Panshan Group's nuclear-powered aircraft stunned the world, Liu Tao was inspecting the national nuclear project.

Hua Xia has always attached great importance to nuclear weapons.

Contrary to the common perception of nuclear weapons as expensive weapons, they are actually a relatively cheap option for quickly establishing deterrence, whether in terms of deterrent effect or actual combat effectiveness. Modern land, sea, and air forces, coupled with related C4 electronic combat support facilities at all levels, are incredibly expensive for any country. They require long-term training, equipment procurement, updates, and maintenance, as well as substantial personnel costs. However, the firepower and mobility they can achieve are far from what nuclear weapons can accomplish.

Nuclear weapons can quickly and efficiently establish a country's military deterrence and combat capability, giving it significant strategic power. Achieving the same level of deterrence with conventional weapons would be theoretically impossible and far more expensive than nuclear weapons.

The explosive yield of nuclear weapons is hundreds of thousands of times that of conventional chemical explosives, allowing them to balance existing conventional forces with a one-to-ten-thousand advantage.

In essence, nuclear weapons are the weapon system with the highest performance-to-price ratio for achieving the same military destructive effect.

What Liu Tao was inspecting at this moment were tactical nuclear weapons!

Nuclear weapons are divided into tactical and strategic categories based on their purpose. Strategic nuclear weapons are high-yield, long-range weapons used for large-scale destruction of enemy cities. People's impressions of nuclear weapons are typically associated with strategic nuclear weapons.

Tactical nuclear weapons, on the other hand, are low-yield and short-range, primarily used for direct support of land, sea, and air combat operations, targeting important objectives within the enemy's operational and tactical depth.

The development of tactical nuclear weapons lagged behind strategic nuclear weapons, and they require higher and more complex nuclear technology, contingent on possessing strategic nuclear weapon technology.

Tactical nuclear weapons are characterized by their small size, light weight, good maneuverability, and high accuracy. Their explosive power ranges from hundreds of tons, thousands of tons, tens of thousands of tons, to hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT equivalent. They are deployed via vehicle, aircraft, or ship for mobile projection, mainly used to strike important targets that directly impact military operations, such as missile launch sites, command posts, concentrated troops, aircraft, ships, tank formations, field fortifications, ports, airports, railway hubs, important bridges, and warehouses.

Currently, all five permanent members of the UN Security Council possess strategic nuclear weapons. However, only the top three permanent members possess tactical nuclear weapons.

Before Liu Tao was a nuclear artillery shell, which can be launched directly through the barrel. The power of a nuclear artillery shell is immeasurably greater than that of an ordinary artillery shell.

Nuclear weapon miniaturization is highly technical.

People sometimes hear about nuclear weapon miniaturization, and the result of nuclear weapon miniaturization is what you see before you.

Nuclear weapon miniaturization includes the miniaturization of the detonation device and the nuclear charge.

Just one of these nuclear artillery shells has an incredible explosive yield of 500,000 tons of TNT!

There is also a relatively small nuclear mine, with an explosive yield of a terrifying 200,000 tons of TNT. One can imagine the horrific effect if a large nuclear-powered aircraft carrier were hit by such a nuclear mine.

Liu Tao was quietly exchanging information with nuclear technology personnel. To be honest, Hua Xia's current number of tactical nuclear weapons is barely sufficient and certainly not abundant.

Back in the day, the United States and the Soviet Union had more than 41,400 tactical nuclear weapons, each possessing one or two thousand.

In comparison, Hua Xia has far fewer tactical nuclear weapons.

As for low-yield tactical nuclear weapons, they range from a few hundred tons to hundreds of thousands of tons!

Different tactical nuclear weapons are suitable for different scenarios.

Of course, there are also neutron bombs, shockwave bombs, and so on.

In terms of tactical nuclear weapons, Hua Xia is closely following the United States and Russia, ranking in the world's top tier.

Hua Xia has a development philosophy for weapons: knives and swords must be in our own hands. We may not use them, but we must have them.

Hua Xia has suffered too much in this regard.

Being backward invites aggression!

This sentence is deeply imprinted in Hua Xia's bones.

Over the years, Hua Xia has been deceived countless times.

For example, the aircraft engine data released by the Americans was actually fake. As a result, Hua Xia believed it to be true and pursued it as a goal, overcoming countless difficulties. By the time Hua Xia's aircraft engine reached that level, it was discovered that the American data was fake.

Another example is the lunar soil given by the Americans. Hua Xia studied it with great interest and never suspected it was fake. However, when Hua Xia's own lunar lander arrived on the moon and obtained lunar soil, studying its own lunar soil revealed that it seemed to be different from the lunar soil given by the Americans. Initially, Hua Xia thought that the lunar soil it obtained was only from one location, and some error was normal. However, the research data obtained from three landing sites all differed significantly from what the Americans had provided, leading to suspicion.

Now, the whole world is questioning whether the American 'Apollo program' actually landed on the moon. Even many Americans themselves question whether the 'Apollo program' was actually completed in a Hollywood studio. Only Hua Xia, so far, does not suspect that the American 'Apollo program' is fake.

Even though the Americans keep postponing their own return to the moon plan.

To be honest, even Liu Tao has some doubts, because the Soviet Union was clearly leading in the field of aerospace back then. Soviet aerospace created countless world firsts. However, when it came to manned lunar landings, the Soviet Union tried its best, and all they could prove was that probes could travel back and forth between Earth and the Moon. As for sending astronauts to the Moon, the arguments always failed. Yet, the Americans succeeded, and more than once.

Now, facing Hua Xia's rapid progress in the aerospace field, everyone knows that Hua Xia's manned lunar landing is a certainty. The United States also announced a return to the moon plan before, but it was postponed by Barack.

In recent years, NASA's return plan has remained a show. They are selecting astronauts for manned lunar landings worldwide, but in terms of technology, one cannot see NASA preparing for a return to the moon in a down-to-earth manner.

Liu Tao really doesn't believe that NASA can pull a Saturn V rocket out of the warehouse and complete the mission in one go.

You should know that nowadays, not only are ground-based observatories much more advanced than they were back then, but the performance of satellites in space is also incomparable.

Hua Xia also has satellites in lunar orbit.