What Is Carbon Fibre Bomb? Blackout Weapon US Used In Iraq That North Korea Now Claims To Have

Last Updated:April 09, 2026, 11:39 IST

A carbon-fibre bomb- also called a graphite bomb or blackout bomb- is not designed to kill or destroy buildings.

North Korea’s state media KCNA reported that the country’s Academy of Defence Science and Missile Administration tested a carbon-fibre bomb, a cluster-bomb warhead on a ballistic missile, an electromagnetic weapon and a mobile short-range anti-aircraft missile system. General Kim Jong Sik, who oversaw the tests, called the carbon-fibre bomb and electromagnetic weapon “special assets" for North Korea’s military.

What Is A Carbon Fibre Bomb?

A carbon-fibre bomb- also called a graphite bomb or blackout bomb- is not designed to kill or destroy buildings. It works by dispersing large quantities of extremely fine, electrically conductive carbon-fibre strands over a target. When these strands settle on power lines, transformers and substations, they cause short circuits and cascading failures, triggering widespread blackouts.

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The United States used graphite bombs to disable Iraq’s power grid during the Gulf War in 1991 and again during the NATO campaign in Yugoslavia in 1999. China is also reported to have developed variants of the weapon. North Korea’s claim to have tested one places it in a small group of militaries with this capability.

What Other Weapons Did North Korea Test?

Alongside the carbon-fibre bomb, North Korea tested a cluster-bomb warhead mounted on its Hwasongpho-11 Ka tactical ballistic missile, which KCNA claimed could destroy any target covering up to 7 hectares. An electromagnetic weapon system was also tested, which could disable electronic circuits- including South Korea’s F-35A stealth fighter jets and Aegis-equipped destroyers.

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North Korea additionally said it conducted firing drills using “low-cost raw materials," which Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, interpreted as a signal of intent to mass-produce these weapons.

Why Is Timing Of These Tests Significant?

The tests come ahead of a two-day visit to North Korea by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and amid speculation that US President Donald Trump may seek a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the sidelines of his planned visit to China in mid-May.

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