<p >The world’s first warhead of its kind, a hydrogen-based non-nuclear explosive device, has been detonated for the first time in a controlled field test in China, with the warhead successfully triggering a series of devastating chemical chain reactions to delivery significantly greater explosive force than conventional TNT.&nbsp; The two kilogram bomb generated a fireball exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius for more than two seconds, which was 15 times longer than an equivalent TNT blast. This has the potential to serve as a major force multiplier for a wide range of Chinese armaments, from ballistic missiles and artillery to air-to-air missiles.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p >Developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s 705 Research Institute, the device used a magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage material known as magnesium hydride, which stores considerably more hydrogen than a pressurised tank. This compound was activated by conventional explosives and made to undergo rapid thermal decomposition, releasing hydrogen gas that ignited into a sustained inferno. Researchers observed regarding the test: "Hydrogen gas explosions ignite with minimal ignition energy, have a broad explosion range, and unleash flames that race outward rapidly while spreading widely… This combination allows precise control over blast intensity, easily achieving uniform destruction of targets across vast areas.” China is the only country capable of producing magnesium hydride in large quantities, with an output of over 150 tons per year considered possible.&nbsp;</p><p ></p>