Mark 4 (nuclear weapon): Difference between revisions
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One of the earliest [[United States nuclear weapons]], the '''Mark 4''' was still first-generation but a production-quality, reengineered version of the [[FAT MAN (nuclear weapon)|FAT MAN bomb]] that had been used on Nagasaki. A [[fission device|implosion device]], its yield of which could be varied from 1, 3.5, 8, 14, 21, 22, and 31 KT by exchanging the plutonium pits; it also contained uranium. Mark 4 was the first weapon made on an assembly line rather than by hand. 550 were produced.<ref>{{citation | |||
| http://www.strategic-air-command.com/weapons/nuclear_bomb_chart.htm | |||
| title = Chart of Strategic Nuclear Bombs | |||
| publisher = StrategicAirCommand.com}}</ref> | |||
It was among the design ancestors of the first deployed British nuclear weapon, the [[Blue Danube (nuclear weapon)|Blue Danube bomb]]. Mark 4 was also the basis of the first systematic engineering testing of U.S. bombs since WWII, in the 1951 Operation Ranger a series of air drops over the [[Nevada]] desert. The test program explored variations in the Mark 4 core, and then tested the [[Mark 6 (nuclear weapon)]]<ref>{{citation | |||
| title = Operation Ranger: 1951 | |||
| date = 3 January 2005 | |||
| url = http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ranger.html | |||
| publisher = Nuclear Weapons Archive}}</ref> | |||
The Mark 4 was the first bomb involved in an operational accident. On 10 November 1950. a [[B-50]], in mechanical distress, jettisoned its bomb over the St. Lawrence River, approximately 300 miles northeast of Montreal, Quebec. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact. scattering nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. Its plutonium pit remained aboard the aircraft, which later landed safely. <ref>{{citation | |||
| url = http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml | |||
| title = Broken Arrows: Nuclear Weapons Accidents | |||
| publisher = AtomicArchive}}</ref> | |||
==References== | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
Revision as of 02:31, 2 May 2010
One of the earliest United States nuclear weapons, the Mark 4 was still first-generation but a production-quality, reengineered version of the FAT MAN bomb that had been used on Nagasaki. A implosion device, its yield of which could be varied from 1, 3.5, 8, 14, 21, 22, and 31 KT by exchanging the plutonium pits; it also contained uranium. Mark 4 was the first weapon made on an assembly line rather than by hand. 550 were produced.[1]
It was among the design ancestors of the first deployed British nuclear weapon, the Blue Danube bomb. Mark 4 was also the basis of the first systematic engineering testing of U.S. bombs since WWII, in the 1951 Operation Ranger a series of air drops over the Nevada desert. The test program explored variations in the Mark 4 core, and then tested the Mark 6 (nuclear weapon)[2]
The Mark 4 was the first bomb involved in an operational accident. On 10 November 1950. a B-50, in mechanical distress, jettisoned its bomb over the St. Lawrence River, approximately 300 miles northeast of Montreal, Quebec. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact. scattering nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. Its plutonium pit remained aboard the aircraft, which later landed safely. [3]
References
- ↑ Chart of Strategic Nuclear Bombs, StrategicAirCommand.com
- ↑ Operation Ranger: 1951, Nuclear Weapons Archive, 3 January 2005
- ↑ Broken Arrows: Nuclear Weapons Accidents, AtomicArchive