W60 (nuclear warhead)
The W60 was nuclear warhead developed for the United States Navy's long range Typhon LR surface-to-air missile.[1]
History
Typhon development started in November 1959 with a conceptual study of the system and in March 1960 the Atomic Energy Commission was asked to begin feasibility studies for a nuclear warhead for the system, which they reported back on in June.[2] In August 1961, the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) was assigned development of the warhead and in November the XW-60 name was assigned to the program.Template:Sfn
In February 1962 a safety study determined that the warhead had an inherent fire safety risk leading to the development of a fire-protection package for the weapon. This was followed by further fire safety concerns in 1963. The medium range version of the system (Script error: No such module "convert".) was cancelled around this time while the long-range version of the system was reorientated towards a Script error: No such module "convert". weapon and relegated to study-only.Template:Sfn
The warhead was cancelled in December 1963 following the cancellation of the Typhon missile that same month due to cost and system vulnerability.Template:Sfn
In approximately 1966, the XW60 was briefly considered alongside the W58 warhead for possible use in the AGM-69 SRAM air-to-surface missile.Template:Sfn The Los Alamos W69 warhead was ultimately chosen for the system.[3]
Design
The W60 weighed between Script error: No such module "convert"., was Script error: No such module "convert". long and Script error: No such module "convert". in diameter.Template:Sfn
The warhead yield has been variously described as "lower than that of the W58" (which had a yield of Script error: No such module "convert".) and "very low".Template:Sfn[4]
References
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Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
- Hansen, Chuck, "Swords of Armageddon," Sunnyvale, CA, Chucklea Publications, 1995.