News Brief
China Develops Powerful Non-Nuclear Hydrogen Explosive With Military Potential For Precision Thermal Strikes
An explosion (pic generated by AI)
Chinese scientists have tested a hydrogen-powered bomb that unleashes massive chain reactions without nuclear materials, marking a significant advancement in non-nuclear explosive technology, South China Morning Post reported citing a study published last month.
The 2kg bomb created a fireball over 1,000 degree celsius that burned for more than two seconds—15 times longer than TNT— without using any nuclear materials.
Developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s 705 Institute—known for naval weapons—the device uses a magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage material.
The silvery powder, known as magnesium hydride, stores considerably more hydrogen than a pressurised tank.
It was originally developed for bringing hydrogen gas to generate clean energy in remote areas, where it could power fuel cells for clean electricity and heat.
But its dense hydrogen storage will now power a new wave of high-energy explosives.
Triggered by a conventional explosive, magnesium hydride decomposes thermally, releasing hydrogen that ignites into a long-lasting inferno, the researchers said in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese-language Journal of Projectiles, Rockets, Missiles and Guidance.
“Hydrogen gas explosions ignite with minimal ignition energy, have a broad explosion range, and unleash flames that race outward rapidly while spreading widely,” said the team, led by CSSC research scientist Wang Xuefeng.
“This combination allows precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas," it added.
According to the paper, the hydrogen bomb can cause extended thermal damage because the white-hot fireball it produces is sufficient to melt aluminium alloys and lasts much longer than TNT’s fleeting 0.12-second flash.
The research team reportedly conducted a series of experiments that showed the weapon’s directed energy potential.
Further, they also looked at the weapon’s other potential military applications, such as using it to cover a large area with intense heat and focusing its power on high-value targets to destroy them.
Detonation fractures the magnesium hydride into micron-scale particles, exposing new surfaces and setting off a chain reaction.
Thermal decomposition rapidly releases hydrogen gas, which mixes with ambient air. Upon reaching the lower explosive limit, the mixture ignites, triggering exothermic combustion.
This released heat further propagates magnesium hydride decomposition, creating a self-sustaining loop until fuel exhaustion – a synergistic cascading of mechanical fracturing, hydrogen release, and thermal feedback, according to the paper.
The study stayed silent on the source of the large amount of magnesium hydride. It also remains unclear under what conditions the Chinese Army might deploy the weapon.
According to the SCMP report, until recently, magnesium hydride could only be produced in laboratories at the pace of a few grams per day.
This is because binding hydrogen with magnesium requires high temperatures and pressure. Accidental exposure to the air during the manufacturing process can lead to deadly explosions.
Earlier this year, China launched a plant in northwestern province of Shaanxi that can produce 150 tonnes per year of magnesium hydride using a cost-effective “one-pot synthesis” method.
Beyond bombs, the tech is being also developed for other use case including in drones and submarines—hinting at dual-use potential in China’s military-energy push.
