Neutron Bomb

Neutron Bomb

The enhanced radiation fusion bomb, also called the neutron bomb, which has been tested by the United States and other nuclear powers, does not release long-lasting radioactive fission products; however, the large number of neutrons released in thermonuclear reactions is known to induce radioactivity in materials, especially earth and water, within a relatively small area around the explosion. Thus the neutron bomb is considered a tactical weapon because it can do serious damage on the battlefield, penetrating tanks and other armoured vehicles and causing death or serious injury to exposed combatants, without, in theory, producing the radioactive fallout that endangers people or structures miles away.