A team of Chinese army scientists led by Xu Xiaohui simulated what happens when three nuclear-style blasts strike the same spot in quick succession, using a vacuum-chamber rig to mimic rapid pressure pulses without real nukes.

Modeled on the U.S. 1965 Palanquin test, their triple-pulse setup (blasts ~0.8 milliseconds apart) increased crater radius from 46 m to 114 m and depth from 28 m to 35 m, producing roughly ten times the crater volume of a single equivalent blast.

A smaller 5-kiloton, shallower run also showed a large jump in surface damage area (from ~6,600 m² to ~26,400 m²).

The researchers say staged, multi-point detonations merge into an amplified single effect and argue the results support coordinated multi-warhead, earth-penetrating strategies, the Next Gen Defense has reported.

They note, however, that applying this on the battlefield would demand highly precise, hypersonic delivery and advanced command-and-control systems, and the team frames the work as useful for deep-underground engineering and defense.