Blast to Simulate Nuke Explosion (sub. req.):
Pentagon researchers plan to set off a simulated nuclear blast in the Nevada desert in June as part of their search for a better way to destroy buried enemy bunkers, according to federal documents.
A Defense Nuclear Threat Reduction Agency spokeswoman would neither confirm nor deny the nuclear connection Friday, saying only that conventional mining explosives would be used in for the massive blast.
But a Pentagon budget request is explicit about its purpose: to “improve the warfighter’s confidence in selecting the smallest nuclear yield necessary to destroy underground facilities while minimizing collateral damage.”