Mark 5 nuclear bomb
The Mark 5 nuclear bomb and W5 nuclear warhead were a common core American nuclear weapon design, designed in the early 1950s and which saw service from 1952 to 1963.
Description
The Mark 5 design was the first production American nuclear weapon which, with a diameter of Script error: No such module "convert"., was significantly smaller than the Script error: No such module "convert". diameter implosion system of the 1945 Fat Man nuclear bomb design. The Mark 5 design used a 92-point implosion system and a composite uranium/plutonium fissile material core or pit.
The Mark 5 core and W5 warhead were Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter and Script error: No such module "convert". long; the total Mark 5 bomb had a diameter of Script error: No such module "convert". and was Script error: No such module "convert". long. The different versions of Mark 5 weighed Script error: No such module "convert".; the W5 versions weighed Script error: No such module "convert"..
The Mark 5 and W5 were pure fission weapons. There were at least four basic models of core design used, capable of compatibility with at least eight different core "capsule" designs (which themselves were compatible with many other weapons of the era).[1] Sub-variants with yields of 6, 16, 55, 60, 100, and 120 kilotons have been reported.
As with many early US nuclear weapon designs, the fissile material or pit could be kept separately from the bomb and assembled into it during flight. This technology is known as In Flight Insertion (IFI). The Mark 5 had an automatic IFI mechanism which could insert the pit into the center of the explosive assembly from a storage position in the bomb nose.
History
The Mark 5 was in service from 1952 to 1963. The W5 saw service from 1954 to 1963. Approximately 72 Mark 5 weapons were supplied for delivery by Royal Air Force bombers but under US control, under the auspices of Project E.[2]
A Mark 5 was used as the primary fission trigger used in Ivy Mike,[3]Template:Refpage the first thermonuclear device in history.
A total of 140 Mark-5 bombs were produced.[4]
See also
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
- ↑ The four models could take the following capsules (designated by a three digit number): A. 130/240, B. 110/170/260, C. 150/210, D. 190. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
Bibliography
- Leitch, Andy. "V-Force Arsenal: Weapons for the Valiant, Victor and Vulcan". Air Enthusiast No. 107, September/October 2003. pp. 52–59. Template:Catalog lookup linkScript error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".
External links
- Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons at The Nuclear Weapon Archive