Kinglet (nuclear primary)
Kinglet was a boosted fission primary used in several American thermonuclear weapons.[1]
The W55 warhead for the UUM-44 SUBROC anti-submarine missile and the W58 warhead for Polaris A-3 were designed to use Kinglet, while the W47 warhead for Polaris A-1/A-2 were retrofitted with Kinglet to overcome the technical issues with the Robin primary the W47 was initially deployed with.[2][3] Allegedly, only the W47Y2Template:Efn was converted to the Mod 3 design using Kinglet.Template:Sfn
Design
The Kinglet device was approximately Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter, Script error: No such module "convert". in length and weighed approximately Script error: No such module "convert"..Template:Sfn
The device was of the two-point design. Two-point devices only require two detonators to fire the whole device, compared to earlier nuclear weapons that required tens of detonators.Template:Sfn
Characteristics of the warheads that used Kinglet are:Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
| Warhead | Max Yield | Diameter | Length | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W47Y2 Mod 3Template:Sfn | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". |
| W55 | Script error: No such module "convert".Template:Efn | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". |
| W58 | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". | Script error: No such module "convert". |
See also
Notes
References
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Bibliography
- Beware the old story by Chuck Hansen, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, March/April 2001 pp. 52-55 (vol. 57, no. 02)
- http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons?Allbombs.html
- The History of the UK. Strategic Deterrent: The Chevaline Programme. Template:ISBN Published:2004 by the Royal Aeronautical Society, London.