Chinese researchers simulated attacks on a typical suspension bridge and found a precisely targeted small strike could trigger collapse
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenVictoria BelaPublished: 4:00pm, 21 Sep 2026Scientists in China have simulated a drone attack on one of the country’s major suspension bridges to determine the vulnerability of key transport hubs to modern warfare tactics.The researchers found that a drone carrying just 30kg (66lb) of TNT could trigger a bridge collapse if it detonated within inches of the main suspension cable at the point where it meets a support tower.The targeted bridge strikes that have featured in Russia’s war on Ukraine showed that warfare has shifted from mass firepower to precision strikes, turning once hard-to-reach structures into prime targets, they said.“These events starkly reveal the extreme vulnerability of modern bridges to unconventional explosive attacks,” the team wrote in a paper published in the September issue of the Chinese-language Journal of Railway Science and Engineering.
