DANGEROUS ELEMENT: The uranium for the original atomic bombs came from a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Shinkolobwe. ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/DAVID FREUNDJonathan Ray, National Interest: Unlocking the Puzzle of China’s Neutron Bomb
Why did China develop a neutron bomb that it never deployed?
WNU Editor: They built it for the simple reason being that the U.S. and Russia had one.
The article seems to point out why a neutron bomb is only good as an offensive weapon and thus not in line with China's no first strike policy. I would think a neutron bomb might be a superb defensive weapon. For one thing a defending army could fry any unhardened electronics in the invading army and kill soft targets while staging a strategic retreat. It also has the bonus of not being so hard on a city's skyline. Sort of like tossing a large scale smoke bomb at your enemies feet as you withdraw. Zap foot soldiers, unhardened drones, soft vehicles, and the like all without completely destroying your cites as you pull your troops back into a more advantageous position. I think calling one of these bombs offensive only is short sighted. If anything a neutron bomb makes way more sense to me as a defensive weapon than an offensive weapon.
ReplyDeleteIt may be hard to develop a weapon system at a future date if a crisis was approaching and you had many competing priorities.
ReplyDeleteResearch it now. Store the tech in a library and roll it out if you change your mind.
In the future China may not have the luxury of a long lead time.
Never know what the future holds.
I agree with Anonymous. It is a good defensive weapon. China could want it for the same reason NATO wanted it.
ReplyDeleteBesides India has been a client of Russia before.
Alliances change.