Russia tests'father of bombs'

MOSCOW: The vacuum bomb tested by Russia on Wednesday is said to be less harmful on the environment than a nuclear bomb.

Alexander Rukshin, Russian deputy armed forces chief of staff, said: "I want to stress that the action of this weapon does not contaminate the environment, in contrast to a nuclear one.''

The consumption of gases in the blast generates a partial vacuum that can compound damage and injuries caused by the explosion itself. ‘‘The main destruction is inflicted by an ultrasonic shockwave and incredibly high temperature,'' the reports said. ‘‘All that is alive merely evaporates,'' Rukshin said.

One TV report said the new bomb was much stronger than the US-built Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb - MOAB, also known as ‘‘Mother of All Bombs''. ‘‘So, Russian designers called the new weapon ‘Father of All Bombs','' it said.

Showing the orange-painted US prototype, the report said the Russian bomb was four times more powerful - 44 metric tons of TNT equivalent - and the temperature at the epicenter of its blast was twice as high.

US forces have used a ‘thermobaric' bomb, which works on similar principles, in their campaign against Al Qaida and Taliban forces in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a Russian newspaper said Moscow could be developing a top-secret new type of submarine capable of patrolling underwater longer than existing diesel-powered submarines. The project - codenamed 20120 - came to light when details were inadvertantly posted on the Internet site of a provincial town, Kommersant newspaper reported.

The posting has now been taken down and the navy denied any knowledge of the project. Russia is boosting military spending to back up its new assertive foreign policy.