Published Apr 26, 2026

During one very unusual Cold War drill, a Soviet Su-7 Fitter attack jet delivered a live tactical nuclear weapon in an end-to-end test.

Videos and other imagery bearing witness to the awesome destructive power of nuclear detonations remain some of the most enduring legacies of the Cold War. But of the more than 2,000 nuclear weapons tests that have been carried out since 1945, only very, very few have involved a live weapon dropped from a fighter-bomber.

At least one such test took place in the Soviet Union, however. On his X account, Sam Wise, an aviation analyst at Janes, brought our attention to footage that purportedly shows that test, or at least portions of it.

The test in question was especially notable in that it involved a free-fall tactical nuclear bomb that was delivered by a crewed fighter-bomber, specifically a Su-7 Fitter attack jet, in an end-to-end test.

Read full piece at link below:

https://www.twz.com/air/rare-video-appears-to-show-a-soviet-su-7-jet-dropping-a-nuclear-bomb