Simulation shows what would happen in first 30 minutes if US declared nuclear war

The dreadful horror of nuclear detonation has been brought to life in a YouTube video, as the spectre of World War III shows no sign of fading.

Via channel Modern Muscle, viewers get a front-row seat for what would unfold during the first 30 minutes if the US was to launch an organised attack on Russia - although people are now concerned that nuclear war could eventually break out with Iran too.

Russia's so-called 'Dead Hand' retaliation project - brought up last year by the Russian Federation's Deputy Chair of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, in a warning shot at Donald Trump - is designed to prevent the US from launching a nuclear strike.

It's largely kept under wraps, but is thought to be a semi-automated system that will launch a nuclear strike on the US even if Russian leadership are wiped out by a nuclear blast.

That should deter the US from getting too trigger-happy, but it's still weirdly fascinating to witness how the whole sorry mess might look in its infancy.

Could either Trump of Putin trigger a nuclear war? (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The US president alone has the authority to launch a nuclear strike as commander-in-chief of the US armed forces, and Trump wouldn't need to consult Congress or high-ranking military officers before making his decision.

Once he's made the call, things can escalate very quickly.

US land-based missiles can be launched within five minutes of a presidential decision to do so, while submarine-based missiles would take 15 minutes to get ready after the POTUS ordered for them to be fired, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

LGM-30 Minuteman III ICBM weapons

Lasting for over 10 minutes, the simulation depicts 400 LGM-30 Minuteman III ICBM weapons - its entire arsenal of intercontinental guided missiles with nuclear delivery - shooting out of silos towards Vladimir Putin's homeland.

"These 400 missiles have a range of over 6,000 miles and have near pinpoint accuracy," reads a rolling explainer.

They'll be launched from underground missile silos in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado.

Terrifyingly, each warhead boasts way more power than the atomic bombs sent to Japan in World War II and would reach their targets in less than half an hour.

J. Robert Oppenheimer would be turning in his grave.

Trident II ballistic missiles

Meanwhile, the US arsenal also includes some serious devils in Trident II ballistic missiles - the most destructive pieces of equipment in their possession, travelling at 18,000 mph.

These will be launched from submarines and they cost about $30 million each.

The US operates 14 Ohio-class submarines, which can carry 20 Trident II missiles each, which in turn can carry up to eight nuclear warheads.

The Pentagon has said it won't fire more than 240 SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles) at once, which is very sportsmanlike of it.

A submarine-based missile could reach Russia from the US in as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

A number of Trump's weapons would lock onto strategic locations, such Russia's 120 ICBM silos. Other targets could include its Pacific Fleet and other telecommunication centres.

How might Russia respond?

This wouldn't be ideal (Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)

Russian officials have previously claimed that their land-based missiles can be ready to launch within tens of seconds of an order from Putin.

According to a 2025 report from Congress, Russia's nuclear arsenal consists of 330 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), 12 ballistic-missile submarines (SSBNs) with 192 submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and 58 strategic bombers.

More recently, there have also been rumours Russia has been developing a nuclear weapon it could launch from space.

The simulation doesn't show how Russia would retaliate, but if the US fired nuclear missiles its way, it almost certainly wouldn't sit there and take it.

What would be the result of a nuclear war between the US and Russia?

In 2019, a study estimated that 34.1 million people would die and 57.4 million would be injured in the first hours of a nuclear war between the US and Russia.

The long-term effects are even more grim. According to Time magazine, the Earth would be plunged into a nuclear winter by smoke from the nuclear bombs.

Farmland in Kansas would cool by 20℃. Five billion people would starve to death, including around 99 percent of the people in the US, Russia, Europe and China.

YouTube users were downhearted by the bleak reality the simulation showed.

"It's mutually assured destruction no matter how it plays out," one wrote. "To quote the movie War Games, the only way to win is to not play the game."