cobalt bomb
Salted nuclear device
A cobalt bomb is a theoretical nuclear weapon designed to maximize radioactive fallout.
A conventional nuclear device would be encased in cobalt, which becomes intensely radioactive when bombarded by neutrons from the explosion.
The resulting cobalt-60 would contaminate vast areas for decades, making the weapon a potential doomsday device.
No nation has built one.
The term also refers to cobalt-60 radiation sources used in cancer treatment.
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
- falloutPost-blast atmospheric particles
- lethalityAbility to cause death
- cesium-137Radioactive fission byproduct
- strontium-90Radioactive isotope from fission
contamination · detonation · destructive · doomsday device · weaponry · critical mass · mushroom cloud · weaponization · nuclear fallout · explosion · plutonium · Dr. Strangelove · Cold War · nuclear deterrent · dosimetry · shielding · ground zero · nuclear winter
- nuclear weaponswarheads, warhead, nuclear warhead, nuke, nuclear missile
- SuperweaponsWMD, doomsday device, superweapon, nuclear warhead, ICBM
- Cobalt
cobalt bombtactical nuclear weapon
Small-scale atomic armament
non-lethal weapon · neutron bomb · conventional weapon · smart bomb · bunker buster
cobalt bomblife support system
Machinery maintaining vital functions
seed vault · vaccine · Noah's Ark · humanitarian aid · ark
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