How many nuclear bombs have been detonated in the atmosphere?

Fact Sheets & Briefs

Type of Test	United States	Total
Atmospheric	215	528
Underground	815	1,528
Total	1,0301 (Note: does not include atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.)	2,056

What happens if a nuke goes off in the atmosphere?

Nuclear weapons emit large amounts of thermal radiation as visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light, to which the atmosphere is largely transparent. This is known as “Flash”. The chief hazards are burns and eye injuries. On clear days, these injuries can occur well beyond blast ranges, depending on weapon yield.

Has a nuke been detonated in space?

On 9 July 1962, the United States conducted the ‘Starfish Prime’ nuclear test, one of a series of five aimed at testing the effects of nuclear weapons in high altitudes / lower outer space. The explosion took place 400 kilometres above the Johnston Atoll in the Northern Pacific Ocean.

What would happen if North Korea detonates a nuclear bomb?

“A single nuclear weapon detonated at high altitude over this country would collapse our electrical grid and other critical infrastructures and endanger the lives of millions,” the platform stated. “With North Korea in possession of nuclear missiles and Iran close to having them, an EMP is no longer a theoretical concern — it is a real threat.”

Which countries are building nuclear weapons that can destroy aircraft?

China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran are moving to build and deploy systems which can launch a nuclear weapon into the atmosphere to explode and disable electronics below, including flying aircraft.

Can North Korea or Iran use nuclear weapons in the atmosphere?

The idea of North Korea or Iran using a small-yield nuclear device in low atmosphere fails for the same reasons. North Korea can barely manage to cobble together a crude one-kiloton bomb, let alone a device large enough to do significant damage to U.S. infrastructure.

Could a terrorist cell carry out an EMP strike?

“Any weapon produced by a terrorist cell would likely be a one of a kind and would have to remain untested. For a terrorist group to then mate this weapon to a ballistic missile and successfully carry out an EMP strike beggars belief,” Butt wrote. Singer agrees.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF7RvPFNCRs