Rare clip sparks debate over Soviet Su-7's 1962 nuclear drop

A circulating clip analyzed by The War Zone appears to show a Soviet Su-7 dropping a live 244N tactical nuclear bomb during a 1962 Semipalatinsk test, though the footage may depict an IAB-500 imitation; air-dropped nuclear tests were extremely rare (roughly 200–250 of more than 2,000 tests) and largely moved underground or to sea after the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty. The event sheds light on toss-bombing techniques (PBK/LABS-style) and the persistence of nuclear delivery capabilities in Soviet aviation, while Western intelligence noted related LABS-style training by Su-7s in East Germany.