RDS-1 test

E663518

The RDS-1 test was the Soviet Union’s first successful detonation of an atomic bomb in 1949, marking its entry into the nuclear arms race with the United States.

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Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf atomic bomb test
nuclear weapons test
alsoKnownAs First Lightning NERFINISHED
Joe-1 NERFINISHED
category 1949 in the Soviet Union
Cold War military history of the Soviet Union
History of nuclear weapons
Nuclear weapons testing of the Soviet Union
consequence accelerated nuclear arms race
ended U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons
increased tensions in U.S.–Soviet relations
continent Asia
country Soviet Union
date 1949-08-29
designType plutonium implosion device
detectionMethod airborne radioactive sampling
era early Cold War
followedBy subsequent Soviet nuclear tests
geopoliticalContext beginning of nuclear arms race
hasCodename RDS-1 NERFINISHED
impact altered global strategic balance
spurred U.S. development of thermonuclear weapons
location Kazakh SSR NERFINISHED
Kazakhstan NERFINISHED
Semipalatinsk Test Site NERFINISHED
militaryBranchInvolved Soviet Air Forces NERFINISHED
observedBy United States NERFINISHED
partOf Soviet atomic bomb project NERFINISHED
politicalLeader Joseph Stalin NERFINISHED
programLeader Igor Kurchatov NERFINISHED
purpose achieve strategic parity with the United States
demonstrate Soviet nuclear capability
region Semipalatinsk NERFINISHED
result successful detonation
significance first successful Soviet atomic bomb detonation
marked Soviet entry into nuclear arms race with the United States
similarTo Fat Man design
supervisedBy Soviet nuclear program leadership
technologySource Soviet scientific research
espionage on U.S. Manhattan Project
testedBy Soviet Armed Forces NERFINISHED
testedFor Soviet government NERFINISHED
testNumber first Soviet nuclear test
testSeries Soviet nuclear test series
weaponTested RDS-1 NERFINISHED
weaponType fission bomb
year 1949
yield approximately 22 kilotons of TNT

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