Salted bombs have always been the weapon of choice for evil bastards who wanted extinction level events. Salted bombs are designed to maximize radioactive fallout and render an area uninhabitable for 20+ years by &quot;salting the earth&quot; so to speak.<p>Salted bombs were considered for use as a deterrent and were speculate to be the doomsday weapons that was central to the plot in Dr. Strangelove due to the potential to wipe out all terrestrial life on the planet bigger than a rabbit. Smaller devices were also considers as a method to permanently close an choke point to invading troops such as the Fulda gap. Russia &quot;leaked&quot; plans last year for a drone controlled submarine that carried a large salted (cobalt) bomb which would surface at a port and depopulate anything down wind.<p>I had a friend in college who&#x27;s Dad worked who helped test or design nuclear weapons. I guess the minimum number of weapons required for an extinction level event had been calculated at some point. The weapons would need to be positioned correctly but eight salted weapons were the minimum needed for an extinction level event. My friend said her Dad was always proud that he knew the exact number.<p>We&#x27;ve had the capability to wipe humanity off the planet since the late 50&#x27;s. Kind of warms your heart that we haven&#x27;t done so.