Little Boy — Hiroshima (1945) vs Tsar Bomba (1961)
Little Boy, the Hiroshima bomb, released about 15 kilotons. The Tsar Bomba, tested by the USSR in 1961, about 50 megatons: more than 3,000 times as much. It is the most searched comparison because it shows the scale of the arms race in just sixteen years. The Tsar Bomba was a test, never a deployed weapon, and remains the largest explosion ever caused by humans.
Little Boy — Hiroshima (1945) · 15 kt — Tsar Bomba (1961) · 50 Mt
Tsar Bomba (1961) releases 3,333 times more energy than Little Boy — Hiroshima (1945)
Tsar Bomba (1961) equals 3,330 times Hiroshima
Little Boy — Hiroshima (1945) (blue)
Tsar Bomba (1961) (red)
Blast radius scales with the cube root of energy: the larger circle is about 15 times wider. Relative scale only — no real distances or damage estimates.
Full scale (logarithmic)
Each step multiplies the energy; on a linear scale a grenade would vanish next to the Tsar Bomba. Tap a row to set it as B.
* Estimated, approximate or disputed figure. Yields of weapons in service are not official unless stated.
Figures used and how reliable they are
- Little Boy — Hiroshima (1945): 15 kt. Commonly cited official estimate: about 15 kt.
- Tsar Bomba (1961): 50 Mt. Largest explosion ever detonated: about 50 Mt.
Related comparisons
- Little Boy vs Fat Man
- World War II vs Tsar Bomba
- Beirut explosion vs Little Boy
- Castle Bravo vs Tsar Bomba
Compare any other pair in the explosive yield comparison, with its full method. More context: Military history · Weapons · All tools
Sources / References
- U.S. Department of Energy, Manhattan Project history (Hiroshima and Nagasaki).
- U.S. Air Force GBU-43/B MOAB fact sheet.
- U.S. Army ammunition technical manuals (M67, M107).
- Atomic Archive and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (nuclear tests).