A new documentary by Russia’s state atomic
agency offers newly declassified footage of
the biggest thermonuclear bomb of all time.
“Tsar Bomba,” which the Soviet Union tested
in 1961, was so powerful that people saw the
flash from up to 630 miles away.
The Soviets only tested the bomb once, a symbol
of their technology and military power before
an international treaty prohibited further
tests.
Although tens of thousands of nuclear weapons
still exist, none is even remotely as powerful
as the great and terrible Tsar Bomba.
I cut the actual blast footage from the documentary
and upscaled the footage to 4k.
If you would like to watch the full documentary,
you can click on the notice here.
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00:02
Caption: “Top Secret.
Test of a clean hydrogen bomb with a yield
of 50 megatons.”
00:19
In accordance with
the test program
00:21
for new samples of hydrogen charges,
00:24
on October 30, 1961,
00:29
a clean hydrogen bomb with a yield of 50 megatons
was detonated.
00:41
The new hydrogen charge was developed by a
large team of scientists,
00:44
designers, and manufactured at the enterprises
of the Ministry.
00:48
For testing,
00:49
the charge was placed in an aircraft bomb
case,
00:52
capable of holding charges
00:55
with a yield of 100 megatons or more.
00:57
The explosion was planned to be carried out
at a high altitude above the ground,
01:00
using a launch aircraft.
01:05
In the tail of the bomb,
01:07
there is a place for installing a parachute
device.
01:19
For transportation in the assembled condition,
01:22
the bomb was placed in a special railway carriage.
01:30
The walls and roof of the carriage are dismountable.
01:51
The product was sent to its destination
01:54
on a special train.
02:04
When travelling,
02:06
all necessary safety measures were taken.
02:15
In order to prepare the bomb for testing
02:18
and to suspend it from the plane,
02:20
one of the airfields of the long-range
02:23
air force located on the Kola Peninsula was
chosen.
02:45
The train with the product arrived here.
02:53
At the railway station of the airfield,
02:56
there is a well-equipped loading and unloading
platform.
03:09
All unloading operations were carried out
03:12
according to the pre-planned schedule.
03:26
After the dismantling of the carriage,
03:30
a truck and trailer was sent to the train,
03:37
and the product was loaded onto the trailer
03:41
for further transportation.
03:57
Checking and preparing the product for testing
04:00
was carried out in a special building.
04:07
Here, every component of
the product,
04:09
every element of its automatic equipment was
subjected to detailed
04:13
and strict technical control.
04:26
At the moment when the charge is triggered,
04:29
even millionths of a second matter,
04:33
therefore, the elements of automatic systems,
thermometric sensors
04:37
and transmitters
04:39
must be set to a given program
04:42
with absolute accuracy.
05:03
Checking the components of the product comes
to an end.
05:12
Removable parts of the bomb are installed
in their positions,
05:25
hatches are closed.
05:36
The last general inspection.
05:48
Loading onto the trailer again.
05:58
The bomb is ready for the transfer to the
suspension carriage.
06:07
Simultaneously with the preparation of the
product,
06:10
there was the preparation of the TU-95
06:12
long-range heavy bomber,
06:14
capable of carrying a bomb weighing 26 tons.
06:21
The entire aircraft body and even the blades
of its propellers
06:26
were painted with a special protective paint,
06:28
which protects from the light radiation.
06:35
To determine the heat and shock pulse,
06:38
measuring instruments are installed on the
aircraft.
06:47
A specially equipped flying laboratory
06:50
must accompany the launch aircraft.
06:53
On board this aircraft there were:
06:55
receiving radio telemetering equipment,
07:02
shock wave pressure recorders,
07:15
oscilloscopes for recording the power of the
explosion
07:18
at the minimum luminescence,
07:24
equipment for recording of readings on magnetic
tape.
07:34
Outside, movie cameras were attached
07:36
for shooting the fact of an explosion from
the air,
07:49
calorimeters were installed to measure heat
fluxes.
08:02
The communication centre of the airfield.
08:10
In its facilities,
08:12
there is a radiotelegraph communication centre,
08:21
equipment for radiotelephone conversations,
08:31
automatic radio station,
08:33
which is one of the most powerful in the north
of our country.
08:37
All this made it possible to organize a system
08:39
of reliable duplicated communication between
the points,
08:42
providing testing
08:44
and located at a considerable distance from
each other.
08:57
The state testing site No. 6 of the Ministry
of Defence of the USSR,
09:02
on which the bomb was supposed to be detonated,
09:05
is located on Novaya Zemlya.
09:10
The Belushya Bay area
09:13
is the main base of the testing site.
09:15
Here is the headquarters, scientific departments,
09:18
laboratories and support services.
09:25
For the period of testing in Belushya Bay,
09:29
a group of marine logistics vessels was concentrated.
09:41
The joint test management command post
09:44
was located in an underground facility.
09:47
There was a large radiotelegraph and
09:49
radiotelephone signal centre.
09:51
Its task was to maintain two-way communication
09:54
with points located on the territory of the
testing site,
09:57
with the airfield on the Kola Peninsula,
09:59
with the launch aircraft during its flight.
10:04
The distance from the command post in Belushya
Bay
10:07
to the testing site is
10:09
260 km.
10:18
The D-8 site was significantly closer.
10:22
It was in 90 km from the testing site.
10:27
This site was used to prepare
10:30
and manage automatic measuring and recording
equipment,
10:34
located in the area of the explosion.
10:41
The means of communication between the D-8
site
10:44
and the testing site
10:46
were warships.
10:55
Operational deployments were carried out by
helicopters.
11:10
The bomb drop site
11:13
was chosen in the part of Novaya Zemlya,
11:15
where the nature of the area created
11:18
the best conditions for explosion safety.
11:33
The task of the test was not to study
11:36
the destructive effect of the shock wave,
11:40
therefore there are no specially erected structures,
11:44
and no military equipment in the testing site.
11:49
At the same time,
11:51
a large number of the most diverse equipment
11:55
for recording and measuring explosion parameters
was placed here.
12:12
17-20 km from the centre of the site,
12:16
cameras,
12:19
filming and recording equipment
12:24
were installed in surface metal structures.
12:30
At a distance of 2 km,
12:32
in underground structures,
12:34
equipment was installed that recorded
12:37
the development of the nuclear explosion:
12:44
Oscilloscopes for recording
12:46
the neutron multiplication factor,
12:51
time interval meters for the operation
12:54
of automatic charge devices.
12:58
The equipment installed in the testing site
facilities
13:01
was controlled automatically
13:04
by radio.
13:08
Radio signals came from the D-8 site,
13:16
where in the underground structure
13:18
the command post of the site automation service
was located.
13:33
A program-controlled machine was installed
here,
13:37
issuing commands to the site in the desired
sequence.
13:48
How did the main stage of the testing go?
13:55
A few hours are left before the explosion.
13:59
In Belushya, the chief of staff of the testing
site
14:03
gets a report on the measures taken to implement
14:06
the operational plan for marine support.
14:10
This plan defines exactly where the ships
14:13
and the personnel of the testing site
14:16
will be at the time of the explosion.
14:25
The preparation of the testing site is completed.
14:30
Complete evacuation of personnel and ships
14:33
to the safe zone is being carried out.
14:43
The meteorological service is working strenuously.
14:48
A weather forecast map is being compiled.
14:51
The direction of the winds are studied in
particular detail.
14:58
The air defence service is ready for action.
15:08
The last ships leave the dangerous area.
15:19
The decision is made:
15:21
to suspend the product from the carrier aircraft.
15:44
Suspension of a bomb of this size
15:47
and weight
15:49
is not a common thing.
15:52
But at the airfield, they are well prepared
for this.
15:59
Inspection of the product is conducted.
16:06
The packing of the parachute system is checked
particularly carefully.
16:11
The crew safety of the carrier aircraft
16:13
depends on the reliability of its operation.
16:23
For the suspension of the bomb, special lifting
devices were created.
16:39
The product lifting to the aircraft is smooth
and even.
16:55
The size of the bomb does not allow it
16:58
to be placed in the bomb door of the aircraft,
17:00
so it is fixed outside, under the fuselage.
17:15
The meeting of the state commission for the
test.
17:19
The general situation assessment in the test
area
17:22
is made for the scheduled time of the explosion.
17:27
The lane and flight conditions
17:29
of the carrier aircraft are finalized.
17:32
On Novaya Zemlya,
17:34
safety conditions against the effects of the
explosion are verified once again
17:38
for the areas located outside the testing
site.
17:43
The data analysis that make up
17:46
the general situation at the time of the explosion,
17:48
gives confidence that the shock wave propagation
will be limited,
17:53
and the zone of possible destruction in the
earth's surface
17:56
will be minimal.
18:01
October 30, morning.
18:05
The carrier is ready to start.
18:10
Final crew briefing.
18:26
The command post of the airfield.
18:29
Start time is approaching.
18:35
The motor is cleared to start up.
18:37
The turboprop engines started operating.
18:56
Cleared for take-off.
19:23
Following the carrier,
19:25
the flying laboratory rises into the air.
19:35
The carrier aircraft with the particularly
powerful hydrogen bomb
19:40
suspended from it is gaining altitude.
19:44
It is being outlooked from various points
on the earth.
19:48
There is continuous two-way communication
with the crew.
20:02
Dozens of air defence location stations
20:05
monitor the general air situation.
20:22
Height is 10,500 m.
20:29
The crew of the carrier aircraft
20:32
is well prepared for the performance
20:35
of the responsible combat mission.
20:43
The flying laboratory is on the parallel course.
20:51
Carefully following the planned courses,
20:54
the planes are approaching Novaya Zemlya.
21:03
Now the flight control and communication with
the aircraft
21:07
is transferred to the command post of the
testing site.
21:18
The flight progress reports of the crew are
coming in here.
21:26
From here, commands are transmitted
21:29
to the carrier aircraft using conditional
tables.
21:35
The carrier got on the combat course.
21:41
The target is visible.
21:44
The bomb-release control is switched to automatic
mode.
21:51
The "release" signal.
21:54
At D-8,
21:56
the program-controlled machine of the testing
site equipment is turned on.
21:59
Release!
22:06
The crew puts on their safety glasses.
22:15
The program-controlled machine received a
“Release” signal
22:18
and issues commands to launch the equipment
of the testing site.
22:23
The parachute system
22:25
worked exactly as planned.
22:33
The bomb is approaching the detonation point.
22:36
Altitude 4000 m.
22:39
Three seconds remaining
22:41
... 2 ... 1 ... 0.
22:47
The explosion was accompanied by a bright
flash
22:50
of unusual strength.
22:51
At that time, the carrier aircraft
22:53
was 45 km from the release point.
22:57
A flash followed by glow,
22:59
despite the continuous cloudiness,
23:02
were visible in a radius of up to 1000 km.
23:15
A dust and dirt column rising from the ground
23:18
quickly increased in volume.
23:22
A few seconds after the explosion,
23:24
the diameter of the dust column was about
10 km.
23:35
At the same time,
23:37
the fire dome from the hot explosion products
23:41
was visible from the plane
23:44
located 250 km from the detonation point.
23:47
It was rising slowly,
23:49
increasing in volume.
23:57
The maximum diameter of the dome
24:00
reached 20 km.
24:11
Penetrating several layers of continuous cloudiness,
24:15
40 seconds after the explosion,
24:18
the dome of fire reached an altitude of 30
km.
24:32
From this moment,
24:34
gradual transformation of the dome
24:36
into a mushroom-shaped cloud began.
24:39
Growing in size,
24:42
the cloud slowly rose up.
24:45
In its final development,
24:47
it reached an altitude of 60-65 km.
24:53
Its diameter was 90 km.
24:59
Later, the cloud
25:01
began to lose its mushroom shape.
25:10
During this period, the diameter of its base
25:12
was 70 km,
25:15
and the diameter of the leg was 26-28 km.
25:27
When returning to the airfield,
25:30
the crew of the carrier aircraft
25:32
observed an explosion cloud from a distance
25:36
of 800 kilometres.
25:42
A few hours after the explosion,
25:45
a radiation reconnaissance helicopter flew
into the testing site.
25:51
Ships with test teams
25:54
entered the testing site area.
25:58
And here is the testing site.
26:13
Before landing the helicopter – a check
for radioactivity.
26:22
Even in the very centre of the site,
26:25
it was insignificant.
26:37
Testing groups are allowed
26:39
to enter the site.
26:49
Let’s recall what the testing site looked
like
26:53
before the explosion.
27:00
Now its appearance
27:02
has changed a lot.
27:06
For dozens of kilometres around –
27:09
the earth scorched by the explosion.
27:21
The entrances to underground instrumentation
structures are broken.
27:27
Even based on the most preliminary data,
27:31
it became apparent that the explosion produced
27:34
is a record in its strength.
27:38
However, the selected altitude
27:40
and meteorological conditions at the time
of the explosion
27:43
reduced the estimated impact zone
27:46
of the shock wave by several times.
27:49
This zone included a number of settlements.
27:51
None of them recorded any significant explosion
consequences.
27:56
At the same time, even in the most remote
points from the testing site,
28:01
an explosion flash, long-lasting glow were
clearly visible,
28:05
and the sound of an incoming shock wave was
heard.
28:16
All recording measuring equipment in the testing
field
28:20
worked fine.
28:22
The data obtained
28:25
made it possible to determine the actual power
28:27
of the explosion,
28:29
the nature of the nuclear reaction,
28:31
accuracy of the product’s automatic systems
28:35
and a number of other factors.
28:39
Testing
28:40
of a particularly powerful hydrogen charge,
28:43
which has a number of new design features,
28:47
has confirmed
28:49
that the Soviet Union
28:51
has at its disposal thermonuclear weapons
28:55
with a capacity of of 50, 100 or more megatons.
29:20
Caption: "Moscow Order of the Red Star Film
Studio of Popular Science Films."
29:29
Caption: "The end."
