The Soviet Bomb So Big It Was Designed to Kill the Crew That Dropped It

In 1961, the Soviet Union conducted the largest atmospheric nuclear test in history, dropping a 50-megaton weapon known as the Tsar Bomba. To deliver the 27-ton device, engineers heavily modified a Tu-95 bomber, giving the flight crew a mere 50 percent chance of survival. This video explores the extreme aerodynamic physics, the terrifying 188-second escape window, and why the destructive shockwave forced the USSR to rethink its entire Cold War strategic weapons program.