Delhi residents continue to grapple with high pollution levels as thick layer of smog blankets national capital on November 22. As an emergency response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday invoked GRAP Stage IV curbs amid ‘severe' air quality at several monitoring
How Powerful Is Minuteman-III – The Nuclear Missile United States Tested
US Tests Nuclear Missile: How Powerful Is Minuteman-III, Could America Really Destroy The World 150 Times?
Test of Minuteman‑III raises alarms about US arsenal's vast ‘overkill' capacity, not a single missile's power.
Washington: The United States Air Force fired an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on November 5. The missile travelled 7,500 kilometers and hit its target near the Marshall Islands with precision. Officials called it a routine reliability test following President Trump's order. Washington plans to introduce new missiles by 2030.
The Global Strike Command of the U.S. Air Force confirmed the test launch from California. The missile reached the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site near the Marshall Islands. The exercise was part of scheduled checks, aimed at testing accuracy, speed and system readiness. Pentagon officials emphasised that no nuclear warheads were involved.
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The Minuteman III is America's oldest ICBM, which is in service since the 1970s. It launches from land and can strike targets as far as 13,000 kilometres. While it can carry nuclear warheads, this test was unarmed.
The United States presently maintains about 400 of these missiles, forming a critical part of its defense against countries such as Russia and China. The missile earned its name because it can be launched within a minute.
By 2030, the Minuteman III is scheduled to be replaced with new systems, but tests like this will continue until then.
Trump cited nuclear tests by Russia, China and Pakistan. He directed the Pentagon to resume testing, warning that the United States could not fall behind.
The Energy Department clarified that no explosive nuclear testing would occur. The launch fits within U.S. policy under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), which Washington has not fully ratified.
Analysts said Trump's comments evoke Cold War-era nuclear competition between America and the Soviet Union.
The Minuteman III is a land-based ICBM capable of striking targets 13,000 kilometres away. It can carry nuclear warheads, though the test missile was unarmed. It is the backbone of America's land-based nuclear deterrent. Its launches originated from Vandenberg and travelled across the Pacific, hitting dummy targets at the Ronald Reagan Test Site.
The routine test ensures readiness and accuracy. Similar tests occurred in May 2025.
While most U.S. nuclear weapons (about 70%) are submarine-launched, land-based tests like this remain rare but vital.
The bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 had a yield of just 15 kilotons of Trinitrotoluene (TNT), killing over 70,000 people.
Today, countries possess vastly more powerful weapons. The B83 gravity bomb, the most powerful active nuclear weapon in the United States, has a yield of 1.2 megatons (80 times Hiroshima's bomb).
A B83 dropped on a city could obliterate everything within a 10-15 km radius. Temperatures at detonation could reach 100,000°C, hotter than the sun, igniting fires miles away and causing massive radiation casualties. Immediate fatalities could reach 500,000-1,000,000, followed by global fallout and potential nuclear winter.
The Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba tested in 1961 remains the largest ever, at 50 megatons (3,333 times Hiroshima) but was never intended for active deployment. Its blast shattered glass up to 100 kilometres away.
Nine nations presently hold nuclear weapons: the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Russia has the most warheads (around 6,000), but America holds the most powerful bombs.
The blast can destroy everything within kilometres. Heat incinerates people instantly. Radiation causes long-term illnesses.
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) can black out entire cities. Nuclear winter can cause global famine. Even small bombs devastate cities; large ones can wipe out countries.
Yes, according to experts. President Trump claimed in a November 3, 2025 CBS interview that the United States possesses enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world 150 times.
Washington has about 3,700 active warheads, 1,400 of which are deployed. Only 100-400 could trigger nuclear winter and threaten civilization. The rest represent “overkill”, a relic of Cold War-era stockpiles.
If used, roughly half the global population could perish from immediate effects, starvation and extreme cold.
Minuteman III, B83 and Tsar Bomba, all are reminders that nuclear weapons remain humanity's greatest threat. Their power can level cities in minutes or destroy entire nations.
The United States tests serve as both a demonstration of readiness and a warning to the world.
Source: ZeeNews
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Delhi residents continue to grapple with high pollution levels as thick layer of smog blankets national capital on November 22. As an emergency response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday invoked GRAP Stage IV curbs amid ‘severe' air quality at several monitoring
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