Top 10 Deadliest Bombs in History Ranked by Yield

#10. “Tall Boy” – United Kingdom – 12,000 lb (bomb mass)

The Tallboy was an “earthquake” bomb designed by Barnes Wallis and produced for the RAF in 1943–45. Weighing about 12,000 lb and carrying a dense explosive filling (Torpex D1), the Tallboy was built with a very strong, streamlined casing so it could survive high-speed impact and penetrate deeply before detonating — sending shock through a structure’s foundations rather than relying on surface blast alone. It was used selectively against hardened, high-value targets (V-weapon sites, viaducts, tunnels, and notably the battleship Tirpitz), where precision deep-penetration effects were required.

Carried and dropped only by modified Lancasters (and used by elite units such as 617 Squadron); a single Tallboy could pass through a hill and explode inside a tunnel, wrecking rail lines and stopping armor movements.
Tallboys were instrumental in sinking the German battleship Tirpitz (Operation Catechism, 12 Nov 1944), where multiple hits caused catastrophic internal damage and eventual capsizing.

#9. GBU-43/B / MOAB (“Massive Ordnance Air Blast” or “Mother of All Bombs”) – United States – ≈ 11 tons TNT equivalent (~0.011 kilotons)

The MOAB is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the U.S. arsenal. Designed for maximum blast effect over surface/tunnel targets, it produces a massive explosion, but its yield is tiny compared to nuclear weapons. Its usage in Afghanistan in 2017 was intended more for psychological and tactical impact than for causing catastrophic scale comparable to nuclear bombs.

Widely reported and controversial; significant media attention due to its dramatic size.

#8. FOAB (“Father of All Bombs” – Russia – Claimed ≈ 44 tons TNT equivalent (~0.044 kilotons)

The FOAB is Russia’s large thermobaric bomb. Thermobaric weapons create a prolonged blast wave and high temperature by using atmospheric oxygen. Russia claims it is about four times more powerful than MOAB; however, independent verification of its yield and operational status is limited and sometimes disputed.

Because it uses ambient air as part of its explosive process, thermobaric bombs like FOAB can produce higher temperatures and longer blast durations than equivalent mass chemical explosives.
The claimed yield (~44 tons) places it above MOAB in conventional weapon scale, but still orders of magnitude below even the smallest nuclear bombs.

#7. “Little Boy” – United States – ≈ 15 kilotons

Little Boy was the first nuclear bomb ever used in warfare. It was a uranium gun-type nuclear weapon that detonated over Hiroshima near dawn in August 1945, causing immediate massive destruction, fires, and radiation injuries. Its design was simple but deadly, and it has become a defining moment in history both for its human cost and for its role in ending World War II.

Killed an estimated ~ 140,000 people by the end of 1945 when accounting for burns, radiation, and injuries.
Although small compared to later thermonuclear bombs, it was enough to obliterate nearly everything within ~1 mile (≈1.6 km) of the blast center.

#6. “Fat Man” – United States – ≈ 20-23 kilotons

Fat Man was a plutonium implosion-type bomb (different technical design than Little Boy). Dropped on Nagasaki, its burst caused enormous destruction in a hilly, more industrial city, resulting in tens of thousands of immediate deaths and many more from radiation exposure. Its use alongside Little Boy marked the only time nuclear bombs have been used in active combat.

Fat Man’s design required more complex engineering due to needing to implode the plutonium core.
Its explosive power was about 1.4× to 1.6× that of Little Boy, reflecting the difference in design and material.

#5. “B-53” – United States – ≈ 9 megatons

The B-53 was designed to destroy deeply buried hard targets (bunkers) and served as one of the U.S.’s last very high-yield gravity bombs. It entered service in the early 1960s and was retired in the 2010s. Though not used in war, its presence played into nuclear deterrence doctrine.

Yield (~9 Mt) made it more powerful than many early thermonuclear tests.
It was replaced in part by weapons with lower yield but greater precision and flexibility.

#4. “Ivy Mike” – United States – ≈ 10.4 megatons

Ivy Mike was the first true thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb test by the U.S., proving the Teller-Ulam design. It was not weaponized (too large, heavy, required cryogenic systems). The explosion vaporized Elugelab Island and created enormous fallout. It marked the beginning of the “H-bomb” era.

Fireball was ~5.2 km wide at one point; mushroom cloud rose tens of kilometers.
Fusion only contributed part of the yield; fast fission of the uranium tamper contributed ~77%.

#3. “Castle Bravo” – United States – ≈ 15 megatons

Castle Bravo was the largest U.S. nuclear test ever conducted. It used lithium-deuteride fusion fuel; design miscalculations (involving lithium-7) caused it to detonate with far higher yield than expected. The fallout contaminated nearby islands and exposed populations, leading to long-term health and diplomatic consequences.

The fireball was visible over 250 miles away on neighboring atolls.
Fallout covered thousands of square miles; many residents of nearby islands were exposed to dangerous radiation as a result.

#2. B-41 (“Mk-41”) – United States – ≈ 25 megatons

The B-41 (known also as Mk-41) was America’s most powerful bomb to ever be fielded. It was a three-stage thermonuclear weapon with both “dirty” (more fallout) and “clean” (less fallout) designs. Deployed on bombers during the early 1960s, it was eventually retired as missile and warhead technology advanced.

It held the record for highest yield-to-weight among U.S. bombs.
Versions of the bomb had yields of ~25 Mt (dirty) and lower in “clean” form.

#1. Tsar Bomba (RDS-220 “Big Ivan” / “Vanya”) – Soviet Union – ≈ 50 megatons

Tsar Bomba is the largest nuclear device ever detonated. Originally designed for ~100 Mt but scaled down (by switching part of the bomb’s tamper to lead) to 50 Mt to limit fallout and reduce risk to the drop plane. Its explosion remains one of humankind’s most extreme displays of destructive capacity.

Its shockwave traveled around the world multiple times.
The bomber that dropped it had to fly at high altitude and use a large parachute to give the crew time to escape.