Nuclear Blast Radius by Megaton: Complete Size Comparison
Nuclear Blast Radius Comparison
The destructive power of a nuclear weapon scales with its yield, but not linearly. Blast radius increases with the cube root of yield.
Blast Radius by Weapon Yield
| Weapon | Yield | Fireball | Severe Blast | Light Blast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Boy | 15 kT | 0.25 km | 0.81 km | 3.53 km |
| Fat Man | 20 kT | 0.28 km | 0.90 km | 3.93 km |
| W-76 (UK & US SLBMs) | 100 kT | 0.47 km | 1.53 km | 6.67 km |
| Topol (Russian Warhead) | 800 kT | 0.96 km | 3.10 km | 13.51 km |
| W-59 (US Minuteman) | 1 MT | 1.03 km | 3.34 km | 14.55 km |
| R-12 (Soviet Warhead) | 2.42 MT | 1.36 km | 4.40 km | 19.17 km |
| Dong Feng 4 (China ICBM) | 3.3 MT | 1.51 km | 4.88 km | 21.26 km |
| Castle Bravo (Largest US Test) | 15 MT | 2.55 km | 8.23 km | 35.87 km |
| Tsar Bomba (Largest Soviet Test) | 50 MT | 3.77 km | 12.18 km | 53.08 km |
How Radius Scales
The formula for scaling blast radius is:
R₂ = R₁ × (Y₂/Y₁)^(1/3)
This means doubling the yield only increases the radius by about 26%. To double the blast radius, you need 8× the yield.