Nuclear detonations are the most devastating of the weapons of mass destruction.
To make this point one need only recall the pictures from Hiroshima or the international furor over the accidental but enormous radiation release from the Chernobyl power plant. The contamination from Chernobyl was significantly larger than would have been expected from a nuclear detonation of about 20 kT at ground level, but was comparable in extent to what might result from a small nuclear war in which a dozen or so weapons of nominal yield were exploded at altitudes intended to maximize blast damage. Depending upon the environment in which the nuclear de-vice is detonated, blast effects are manifested as ground shock, water shock, blueout, cratering, and large amounts of dust and radioactive fallout. All pose problems for the survival of friendly systems and can lead to the destruction or neutralization of hostile assets. The distribution of energy among these three forms will depend on the yield of the weapon, the location of the burst, and the characteristics of the environment.