Improvised nuclear devices (INDs) are theoretical illicit

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s bought, stolen, or otherwise originating from a nuclear state, or a weapon fabricated by a terrorist group from illegally obtained fissile nuclear weapons material that produces a nuclear explosion. An IND could be bought, or it could be built from the components of a stolen weapon or from scratch using nuclear material (

plutonium Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...

or highly

enriched uranium Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (23 ...

). A successful detonation would result in catastrophic loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, and nuclear contamination of a very large area.

Types

One type of an improvised nuclear device NDattack could be conducted by terrorists with radiological materials using a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or so-called “ dirty bomb.” An RDD causes no nuclear explosion but instead uses chemical explosive to spread harmful radioactivity. It could cause severe economic disruption and panic in an urban area, without causing large numbers of fatalities. Due to their common use in industry, agriculture, and medicine, these materials would be easier for terrorists to obtain.

Design considerations

The INDs when built from scratch would most likely be of gun-type which is fairly easy to design and manufacture (however, requiring highly

). Improvised nuclear devices are likely to cause more

nuclear fallout Nuclear fallout is residual radioactive material that is created by the reactions producing a nuclear explosion. It is initially present in the mushroom cloud, radioactive cloud created by the explosion, and "falls out" of the cloud as it is ...

because of incomplete fission - due to overengineering the pit (making it heavier to ensure fission occurs at least in part of it); using the gun-type design; or as a result of a fizzle (yield lower than planned due to engineering/manufacturing errors) — and are likely to be exploded at ground level rather than at an altitude, which causes ground materials to be irradiated and drawn up into the

mushroom cloud A mushroom cloud is a distinctive mushroom-shaped flammagenitus cloud of debris, smoke, and usually condensed water vapour resulting from a large explosion. The effect is most commonly associated with a nuclear explosion, but any sufficiently e ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Improvised Nuclear Device Nuclear weapons Improvised explosive devices

Types

Design considerations

See also

References