 |
| Seen in 1999, Sam Cohen holds up a peace medal given to him by Pope John Paul I. He designed the neutron bomb with just pencil, paper and a slide rule. |
Samuel T. Cohen, the father of the controversial tactical nuclear weapon known as the neutron bomb, has died at the age of 89 following a battle with stomach cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday, citing Cohen's son.
Cohen died Sunday at his home in Beverly Hills.
The neutron bomb was a battlefield nuclear weapon designed to kill people but leave inanimate objects like buildings intact. It had about a tenth of the explosive power of a conventional nuclear weapon.
The bomb could emit neutrons that could pass through walls and armour to kill humans without destroying the structures, unlike a conventional nuclear bomb, which destroys just about everything in its range.
Cohen regarded the bomb as the most 'sane' among nuclear weapons. 'It's the only nuclear weapon in history that makes sense in waging war. When the war is over, the world is still intact,' he once said.
But critics charged it was extremely dangerous because by inflicting less damage, it increased the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used.
Ronald Reagan's administration ordered 700 neutron bombs, but they were later dismantled, the LA Times said.