China's Mother of All Bombs

First glimpse of China's terrifying 'super bomb': Deadly weapon is Beijing's answer to America's 'Mother of All Bombs'

China has developed and tested a new aerial bomb, dubbed the country's answer to the 'Mother of All Bombs' built by the United States.

In a promotional video published on the website of state arms manufacturer Norinco, the deadly bomb was airdropped by a H-6K strategic bomber onto a plain, producing a gigantic ball of fire and black smoke. 

The video, released at the end of December, marked the first public display of the country's most powerful non-nuclear bomb, according to state-run newspaper Global Times. 

On social networks on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency referred to the bomb as the 'Chinese version of the "Mother of all Bombs'', in comparison to the US-made GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB). The bomb can obliterate everything within a 3,000-foot (914-metre) radius. 

In April 2017, while waging war against militants in Afghanistan, the US military dropped the nine-tonne device on an alleged Islamic State (IS) cave complex in Afghanistan, according to the New York Times. 

This marked the first time the munition was used in combat. The strike was described as successful but then-Defense Secretary James Mattis declined to offer any casualty figures. 

According to military experts, the Chinese weapon is smaller and lighter than its American counterpart. 

a plane flying in the sky: An H-6K bomber conducts training exercises Chinese air force sea patrol, South China Sea. In the video, the bomb was airdropped by a H-6K strategic bomber onto a plain (file photo)

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Judging from the video and the size of the H-6K's bomb bay, the bomb is approximately 16 to 19 feet (five to six meters) long, according to Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military analyst.  

'The massive blast can easily wipe out fortified ground targets such as reinforced buildings, bastions and defense shelters,' Wei told the Global Times. 

It can also be used to clear a landing zone for troops on helicopters to rappel down, in case the area is covered by obstacles such as forests, Wei added. 

To match the US weapon, Russia developed a 'Father of All Bombs' which is both bigger and thermobaric, meaning it uses gas to create a huge fireball rather than a shockwave. It is said to be even more powerful than the US version.