This is a list of

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

s listed according to country of origin, and then by type within the states.

United States

US nuclear weapons of all types – bombs, warheads, shells, and others – are numbered in the same sequence starting with the Mark 1 and () ending with the W-91 (which was canceled prior to introduction into service). All designs which were formally intended to be weapons at some point received a number designation. Pure test units which were experiments (and not intended to be weapons) are not numbered in this sequence. Early weapons were very large and could only be used as free fall bombs. These were known by "Mark" designators, like the Mark 4 which was a development of the Fat Man weapon. As weapons became more sophisticated they also became much smaller and lighter, allowing them to be used in many roles. At this time the weapons began to receive designations based on their role; bombs were given the prefix "B", while the same warhead used in other roles, like missiles, would normally be prefixed "W". For instance, the

W-53 warhead The Mk/B53 was a high-yield bunker buster thermonuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. Deployed on Strategic Air Command bombers, the B53, with a yield of 9 megatons, was the most powerful weapon in the U.S. nucle ...

was also used as the basis for the B53 nuclear bomb. Such examples share the same sequence number. In other cases, when the modifications are more significant, variants are assigned their own number. An example is the B61 nuclear bomb, which was the parent design for the W80, W81, and W84. There are also examples of out-of-sequence numbering and other prefixes used in special occasions. This list includes weapons which were developed to the point of being assigned a model number (and in many cases, prototypes were test fired), but which were then canceled prior to introduction into military service. Those models are listed as canceled, along with the year or date of cancellation of their program. * Bombs – designated with Mark ("Mk") numbers until 1968, and with "B" numbers after that. "Test Experimental" bombs designated with "TX". ** Mark 1 – "

Little Boy "Little Boy" was the type of atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II, making it the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb was dropped by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress ''Enola Gay'' p ...

" gun-type uranium weapon (used against Hiroshima). (13–18 kilotons, 1945–1950) ** Mark 2 – " Thin Man" plutonium gun design—cancelled in 1944 *** Implosion Mark 2 – Another Manhattan Project plutonium implosion weapon, a hollow pit implosion design, was also sometimes referred to as Mark 2. Also cancelled 1944. ** Mark 3 – "

Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

" plutonium implosion weapon (used against Nagasaki), effectively the same as the "Gadget" device used in the Trinity nuclear test with minor design differences. (21 kilotons, 1945–1950) ** Mark 4 – Post-war "Fat Man" redesign. Bomb designed with weapon characteristics as the foremost criteria. (1949–1953) ** Mark 5 – Significantly smaller high efficiency nuclear bomb. (1–120 kilotons, 1952–1963) ** Mark 6 – Improved version of Mk-4. (8–160 kilotons, 1951–1962) ** Mark 7 – Multi-purpose tactical bomb. (8–61 kilotons, 1952–1967) ** Mark 8 – Gun-assembly, HEU weapon designed for penetrating hardened targets. (25–30 kilotons, 1951–1957) ** Mark 10 – Improved version of Mk-8 (12–15 kilotons, cancelled May 1952). ** Mark 11 – Re-designed Mk-8. Gun-type (8–30 kilotons). **

Mark 12 Mark 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It continues Jesus' teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, and contains the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, Jesus' argument with the Pharisees and ...

– Light-weight bomb to be carried by

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

(12–14 kilotons). ** Mark 13 – Improved version of Mk-6 (cancelled August 1954). ** TX/ Mark 14 – First deployable solid-fuel thermonuclear bomb (

Castle Union Castle Union was the code name given to one of the tests in the Operation Castle series of United States nuclear tests. It was the first test of the TX-14 thermonuclear weapon (initially the "emergency capability" EC-14), one of the first deplo ...

device). Only five produced. (5 Megatons) **

Mark 15 Mark 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This chapter records the narrative of Jesus' passion, including his trial before Pontius Pilate and then his crucifixion, death and entombmen ...

– First "lightweight" thermonuclear weapon. (1.7–3.8 Megatons, 1955–1965) ** TX/ Mark 16 – First weaponized thermonuclear weapon (

Ivy Mike Ivy Mike was the codename given to the first full-scale test of a thermonuclear device, in which part of the explosive yield comes from nuclear fusion. Ivy Mike was detonated on November 1, 1952, by the United States on the island of Elugelab ...

device). Only

cryogenic In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “cr ...

weapon ever deployed. Only five produced. (6–8 Megatons) ** Mark 17 – High-yield thermonuclear. Heaviest U.S. weapon, second highest yield of any U.S. weapon. Very similar to Mk-24. (10–15 Megatons) ** Mark 18 – Very high yield fission weapon (

Ivy King Ivy King was the largest pure- fission nuclear bomb ever tested by the United States. The bomb was tested during the Truman administration as part of Operation Ivy. This series of tests involved the development of very powerful nuclear weapons ...

device). ** Mark 20 – Improved Mark 13 (cancelled 1954) ** Mark 21 – Re-designed variant of Castle Bravo test ** Mark 22 – Failed thermonuclear design ( Castle Koon device, cancelled April 1954). ** Mark 24 – High-yield thermonuclear, very similar to Mk-17 but had a different secondary. ** Mark 26 – Similar design to Mk 21 (cancelled 1956). ** Mark 27 – Navy nuclear bomb (1958–1965) ** Mk 101 Lulu (1958–1971) **

Mk 105 Hotpoint The Mark 105 Hotpoint was an airdropped nuclear bomb developed for the United States Navy using the 11 kiloton W34 warhead. It was developed in the 1950s as the first nuclear bomb purposely designed for laydown delivery (bunker buster) but could a ...

(1958–1965) ** B28 nuclear bomb (Mark 28) (1958–1991) ** Mark 36 – Strategic nuclear bomb (1956–1961) 6–19 Megatons **

B39 nuclear bomb The Mark 39 nuclear bomb and W39 nuclear warhead were versions of an American thermonuclear weapon, which were in service from 1957 to 1966. The Mark 39 design was a thermonuclear bomb (see Teller-Ulam design) and had a yield of 3.8 megatons. ...

(Mark 39) (1957–1966) **

B41 nuclear bomb The B-41 (also known as Mk-41) was a thermonuclear weapon deployed by the United States Strategic Air Command in the early 1960s. It was the most powerful nuclear bomb ever developed by the United States, with a maximum yield of . The B-41 was ...

(Mark 41) (1960–1976); highest yield US nuclear weapon (25 Megatons). ** B43 nuclear bomb (Mark 43) (1961–1991) **

B46 nuclear bomb The B46 nuclear bomb (or Mk-46) was an American high-yield thermonuclear bomb which was designed and tested in the late 1950s. It was never deployed. Though originally intended to be a production design, the B46 ended up being only an intermediat ...

or (Mark 46); experimental, design evolved into B53 nuclear bomb and

(cancelled 1958) **

Mark 90 nuclear bomb The Mark 90 nuclear bomb, given the nickname "Betty", was a cold war nuclear depth charge, developed by the United States in 1952. It had a length of , a diameter of , and a weight of , and it carried a Mark 7 nuclear warhead with a yield of 32 ...

** B53 nuclear bomb (1962–1997; dismantled 2010–2011) **

B57 nuclear bomb The B57 nuclear bomb was a tactical nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. Entering production in 1963 as the Mk 57, the bomb was designed to be dropped from high-speed tactical aircraft. It had a streamlined casing ...

(1963–1993) ** B61 nuclear bomb (1966–present) ** B77 nuclear bomb (cancelled 1977) ** B83 nuclear bomb (1983–present) ** B90 nuclear bomb (cancelled 1991) ** Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator design program (2001–2005, cancelled) *

Nuclear artillery Nuclear artillery is a subset of limited- yield tactical nuclear weapons, in particular those weapons that are launched from the ground at battlefield targets. Nuclear artillery is commonly associated with shells delivered by a cannon, but in ...

shells ** 16-inch (406 mm) *** W23 (1956–1962) gun-type ** 280 mm, 11-inch: *** W9 (1952–1957) gun-type *** W19 (1953–1956) gun-type, W9 derivative ** 8-inch (203 mm) *** W33 (1956–1980s) gun-type *** W75 (cancelled 1973) *** W79 (1981–1992) ** There were/are also nuclear warheads for the Army's 175 mm (6.9-inch) and 155 mm (6.1-inch) artillery. ***

W48 The W48 was an American nuclear artillery shell, capable of being fired from any standard howitzer. A tactical nuclear weapon, it was manufactured starting in 1963, and all units were retired in 1992. It was known as the XM454 AFAP (artillery ...

(1963–1992) *** W74 (cancelled 1973) *** W82 (cancelled 1983 (W-82-0 Enhanced Radiation) and 1990 (W-82-1 fission only)) *Atomic Demolition Munitions ** W7/ADM-B (c. 1954–1967) ** T4 ADM (1957–1963) Gun-type ** W30/ Tactical Atomic Demolition Munition (1961–1966) ** W31/ADM (1960–1965) **

W45 The W45 was a multipurpose American nuclear warhead developed in the early 1960s, first built in 1962 and fielded in some applications until 1988. It had a diameter of 11.5 inches (292 mm), a length of 27 inches (686 mm) and weighed 150 pounds ( ...

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition Medium Atomic Demolition Munition (MADM) was a tactical nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. It was an Atomic demolition munition, a combat engineering device for demolition of structures and for battlefield shaping ...

(1964–1984) ** W54/ Special Atomic Demolition Munition (1965–1989) * Missile and Rocket warheads ** W4 for SM-62 Snark

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warh ...

(cancelled 1951) ** W5 for MGM-1 Matador cruise missile (1954–1963) ** W7 for MGR-1 Honest John artillery rocket (1954–1960),

MGM-5 Corporal The MGM-5 Corporal missile was a nuclear-armed tactical surface-to-surface missile. It was the first guided weapon authorized by the United States to carry a nuclear warhead. A guided tactical ballistic missile, the Corporal could deliver eithe ...

TBM (1955–1964),

Nike Hercules The Nike Hercules, initially designated SAM-A-25 and later MIM-14, was a surface-to-air missile (SAM) used by U.S. and NATO armed forces for medium- and high-altitude long-range air defense. It was normally armed with the W31 nuclear warhead, bu ...

SAM, and

BOAR The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

air-to-surface rocket (ASR) (1958–1960s) ** W8 for SSM-N-8 Regulus cruise missile, Gun-type (cancelled 1955) ** W12 for RIM-8 Talos SAM (cancelled 1955) ** W13 for SM-62 Snark cruise missile and PGM-11 Redstone SRBM (cancelled 1954) ** W15 for SM-62 Snark cruise missile (cancelled 1957) ** W21 for SM-64 Navaho cruise missile (cancelled 1957) ** W25 for MB-1 "Ding Dong", later AIR-2 Genie

AAR AAR or Aar may refer to: Geography * Aar, a river in Switzerland, tributary of the Rhine *Aar (Lahn), a tributary of Lahn river in Germany, descending from the Taunus mountains * Aar (Dill), a tributary of Dill river in Germany, also in the bas ...

(1957–1984) ** W27 for SSM-N-8 Regulus and SSM-N-9 Regulus II cruise missile (1958–1965) **

W28 W, or w, is the twenty-third and fourth-to-last letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. It represents a consonant, but in some languages it ...

for AGM-28 Hound Dog and MGM-13 Mace cruise missiles (1958–1976) ** W29 for SM-64 Navaho cruise missile, PGM-11 Redstone SRBM, and SM-62 Snark cruise missile (cancelled 1955) ** W30 for RIM-8 Talos SAM (1959–1979) ** W31 for MGR-1 Honest John artillery rocket (1961–1985),

SAM (1960s–1988) ** W34 for Mk 101 Lulu

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

, Mark 45 ASTOR

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, ...

bomb (1958–1976) ** W35 for SM-65 Atlas

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons ...

, HGM-25A Titan I ICBM, PGM-17 Thor

IRBM An intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of 3,000–5,500 km (1,864–3,418 miles), between a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) and an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Classifying b ...

, and PGM-19 Jupiter MRBM (cancelled 1958) ** W37 (cancelled 1956) **

W38 The W38 was an American thermonuclear warhead used in the early to mid-1960s as a warhead for Atlas E and F, and LGM-25 Titan I ICBMs. It was first built in 1961 and was in service from 1961 to 1965. 70 were deployed on Titan I missiles and 110 o ...

for SM-65 Atlas ICBM and HGM-25A Titan I ICBM (1961–1965) ** W39 for PGM-11 Redstone SRBM (1958–1964) ** W40 for MGM-18 Lacrosse TBM,

CIM-10 Bomarc The Boeing CIM-10 BOMARC (Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center) (IM-99 Weapon System prior to September 1962) was a supersonic ramjet powered long-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) used during the Cold War for the air defense of Nort ...

SAM (1959–1972) ** W41 for SM-64 Navaho cruise missile (cancelled 1957) ** W42 for

MIM-23 Hawk The Raytheon MIM-23 HAWK ("Homing all the way killer") is an American medium-range surface-to-air missile. It was designed to be a much more mobile counterpart to the MIM-14 Nike Hercules, trading off range and altitude capability for a much ...

SAM, AIM-47 Falcon AAM, AAM-N-10 Eagle AAM (cancelled 1961) ** W44 for RUR-5 ASROC SSM (1961–1989) **

for MGR-3 Little John artillery rocket, RIM-2 Terrier SAM, and AGM-12 Bullpup ASM (1961–1969 (some 1988)) ** W46 for PGM-11 Redstone SRBM and SM-62 Snark cruise missile (cancelled 1958) ** W47 for

UGM-27 Polaris The UGM-27 Polaris missile was a two-stage solid-fueled nuclear-armed submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). As the United States Navy's first SLBM, it served from 1961 to 1980. In the mid-1950s the Navy was involved in the Jupiter missi ...

A-1 and A-2

SLBM A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is a ballistic missile capable of being launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), each of which carries a nuclear warhea ...

s (1960–1974) **

W49 The W49 was an American thermonuclear warhead, used on the Thor, Atlas, Jupiter, and Titan I ballistic missile systems. W49 warheads were manufactured starting in 1958 and were in service until 1965, with a few warheads being retained until 197 ...

for PGM-19 Jupiter MRBM (1959–1963) and PGM-17 Thor IRBM (1959–1963) ** W50 for

MGM-31 Pershing The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as ...

SRBM, and

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the United ...

ASR (1960–1990) ** W51 for various (program converted to W54 in 1959) ** W52 for MGM-29 Sergeant TBM (1962–1977) ** W53 for LGM-25C Titan II ICBM (1962–1987) ** W54 for

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

recoilless rifle,

AIM-26 Falcon The AIM-26 Falcon was a larger, more powerful version of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile built by Hughes. It is the only guided American air-to-air missile with a nuclear warhead to be produced; the unguided AIR-2 Genie rocket was also nucle ...

AAM, and AIM-4 Falcon AAM (1961–1972) ** W55 for UUM-44 SUBROC SSM (1965–1989) ** W56 for

LGM-30 Minuteman The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and ...

I and II ICBMs (1963–1993) **

W58 The W58 was an American nuclear bomb, thermonuclear warhead used on the UGM-27 Polaris, Polaris A-3 submarine-launched ballistic missile. Three W58 warheads were fitted as multiple warheads on each Polaris A-3 missile. The W58 was in diameter a ...

for

A-3 SLBM (1964–1982) ** W59 for

I ICBM and GAM-87 Skybolt

ALBM An air-launched ballistic missile or ALBM is a ballistic missile launched from an aircraft. An ALBM allows the launch aircraft to stand off at long distances from its target, keeping it well outside the range of defensive weapons like anti-aircr ...

(1962–1969) **

W60 The W60 was nuclear warhead developed for the United States Navy's long range RIM-50 Typhon, Typhon LR surface-to-air missile. History Typhon development started in November 1959 with a conceptual study of the system and in March 1960 the United St ...

for RIM-50 Typhon SAM (cancelled 1963) ** W61 for

MGM-134 Midgetman The MGM-134A Midgetman, also known as the Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, was an intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the United States Air Force. The system was mobile and could be set up rapidly, allowing it to move to a ne ...

(cancelled 1992) **

W62 The W62 was an American thermonuclear warhead designed in the 1960s and manufactured from March 1970 to June 1976. Used on some Minuteman III ICBMs, it was partially replaced by the W78 starting in December 1979, and fully replaced by W87 warh ...

for

III ICBM, (1970–2010) ** W63 for MGM-52 Lance TBM (warhead cancelled 1966) **

W64 The W64 nuclear warhead was the Los Alamos Laboratory's entry into a brief competition between Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and Los Alamos to design an "enhanced-radiation" nuclear warhead (i.e., a "neutron bomb") for the United States Army's MGM- ...

for MGM-52 Lance TBM (warhead cancelled 1964) ** W65 for Sprint ABM (cancelled 1968) ** W66 for Sprint ABM (available 1970–1975) ** W67 for UGM-73 Poseidon SLBM and

III ICBM (cancelled 1967) ** W68 for UGM-73 Poseidon SLBM (1970–1991) **

W69 The W69 was a United States nuclear warhead used in the AGM-69 SRAM ( Short-Range Attack Missile). It was designed in the early 1970s and entered the U.S. stockpile in 1972. The weapon was retired between 1991 and 1994. About 1,500 warheads were p ...

for AGM-69 SRAM ASM (1972–1990) **

W70 W70 was a two-stage, thermonuclear warhead that was developed for the MGM-52 Lance missile by the United States. Designed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Mod 1 and Mod 2 version of the weapon entered service in 1973, while the enha ...

for MGM-52 Lance TBM (deployed 1973–1992) **

W71 The W-71 nuclear warhead was a US thermonuclear warhead developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California and deployed on the LIM-49A Spartan missile, a component of the Safeguard Program, an anti-ballistic missile (ABM) defense ...

for LIM-49A Spartan ABM (deployed 1974–1975; dismantled 1992) ** W72 for AGM-62 Walleye glide bomb (1970–1979) ** W73 for AGM-53 Condor ASM (cancelled 1970) ** W76 for UGM-96 Trident I and

UGM-133 Trident II The UGM-133A Trident II, or Trident D5 is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the American and British navies. It was first deployed in March 1990, and rema ...

SLBMs (1978–present) **

W78 The W78 is an American thermonuclear warhead with an estimated yield of , deployed on the LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and housed in the Mark 12A reentry vehicle. Minuteman III initially carried the older W62 w ...

for

III ICBM (1979–present) ** W80 for AGM-86, AGM-129,

BGM-109 Tomahawk The Tomahawk () Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a long-range, all-weather, jet-powered, subsonic cruise missile that is primarily used by the United States Navy and Royal Navy in ship and submarine-based land-attack operations. Under contract fr ...

, and

AGM-181 LRSO The AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off Weapon (LRSO) is a nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile under development by Raytheon Technologies that will replace the AGM-86 ALCM. Development As of August 24, 2017, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin received ...

cruise missiles (1981–present) ** W81 for RIM-67 Standard ER SAM, based on B61 (cancelled 1986) ** W84 for

BGM-109G Gryphon The Ground Launched Cruise Missile, or GLCM, (officially designated BGM-109G Gryphon) was a ground-launched cruise missile developed by the United States Air Force in the last decade of the Cold War and disarmed under the INF Treaty. Overview T ...

cruise missile (1983–1991) **

W85 The W85 was a thermonuclear warhead developed by the United States of America to arm the Pershing II missile. It was a variable yield device with a selectable yield of . Overview The Pershing Ia missile was armed with a W50 warhead. By the e ...

for Pershing II MRBM and Pershing 1b SRBM (1983–1991) ** W86 for Pershing II MRBM Earth penetrating warhead option (cancelled 1980) **

W87 The W87 is an American thermonuclear missile warhead formerly deployed on the LGM-118A Peacekeeper ("MX") ICBM. 50 MX missiles were built, each carrying up to 10 W87 warheads in multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV), and wer ...

for LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM (1986–2005),

III ICBM (2007–present), and

LGM-35 Sentinel The LGM-35 Sentinel, also known as the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), is a future American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile system (ICBM) currently in the early stages of development. It is slated to replace the aging Minu ...

ICBM (future) *** W87-1 for

ICBM (cancelled 1992) **

W88 The W88 is an American thermonuclear warhead, with an estimated yield of , and is small enough to fit on MIRVed missiles. The W88 was designed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the 1970s. In 1999, the director of Los Alamos who had pres ...

for

SLBM (1988–present) **

W89 The W89 was an American thermonuclear warhead design intended for use on the AGM-131 SRAM II air to ground nuclear missile and the UUM-125 Sea Lance anti-submarine missile. What was to become the W89 design was awarded to the Lawrence Livermor ...

for

AGM-131 SRAM II The AGM-131 SRAM II ("Short-Range Attack Missile") was a nuclear air-to-surface missile intended as a replacement for the AGM-69 SRAM. The solid-fueled missile was to be dropped from a B-1B Lancer, carry the W89 warhead and have a range of 400&n ...

ASM and UUM-125 Sea Lance SSM (cancelled 1991) ** W91 for SRAM-T ASM (cancelled 1991) **

Reliable Replacement Warhead The Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) was a proposed new American nuclear warhead design and bomb family that was intended to be simple, reliable and to provide a long-lasting, low-maintenance future nuclear force for the United States. Initiate ...

(RRW1) design program (2004–2008, cancelled) ** W93 for

SLBM (proposed) See also

Enduring Stockpile The Enduring Stockpile is the United States' arsenal of nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War. During the Cold War the United States produced over 70,000 nuclear weapons. By its end, the U.S. stockpile was about 23,000 weapons of ...

Common nuclear primaries

Several American weapons designs share common components. These include publicly identified models listed below.

Soviet/Russia

At the peak of its arsenal in 1988, Russia possessed around 45,000 nuclear weapons in its stockpile, roughly 13,000 more than the United States arsenal, the second largest in the world, which peaked in 1966.Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen,
Global nuclear stockpiles, 1945-2006
" Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 62, no. 4 (July/August 2006), 64-66. *Tests ** Joe-1 *Torpedoes **53-58 torpedo with 10 kilotons RDS-9 warhead **65-73 torpedo with 20 kilotons **

VA-111 Shkval The VA-111 ''Shkval'' (from russian: шквал, '' squall'') torpedo and its descendants are supercavitating torpedoes originally developed by the Soviet Union. They are capable of speeds in excess of 200 knots (370 km/h or 230 miles/h). ...

with 150 kilotons *Bombs **RDS-1, 22 kiloton bomb. Tested 29 August 1949 as "First Light" (Joe 1). Total of 5 stockpiled ** RDS-2, 38 kiloton bomb. Tested 24 September 1951 as "Second Light." The RDS-2 was an entirely Russian design, delayed by development of the RDS-1 ** RDS-3, 42 kiloton bomb. First Soviet bomb tested in an airdrop on 18 October 1951. First 'mass-produced" Soviet bomb **RDS-3I, 62 kiloton bomb. Tested 24 October 1954. The RDS-31 was an improved RDS-3 with external neutron generator ** RDS-4, "Tatyana" 42 kiloton bomb. The RDS-4 was smaller and lighter than previous Soviet Bombs. ** RDS-5 ** RDS-6, also known as RDS-6S, or "sloika" or 'layer cake" gaining about 20% of its yield from fusion. RDS-6 was tested on 12 August 1953. Yield 400 kilotons **RDS-7, a backup for the RDS-6, the RDS-7 was a 500 kiloton all fission bomb comparable to the US Mk-18, development dropped after success of the RDS-6S **RDS-27, 250 kiloton bomb, a 'boosted' fission bomb tested 6 November 1955. ** RDS-37, 1.6 megaton bomb, the first Soviet two-stage hydrogen bomb, tested 22 November 1955
RDS-220

Tsar Bomba The Tsar Bomba () ( code name: ''Ivan'' or ''Vanya''), also known by the alphanumerical designation "AN602", was a thermonuclear aerial bomb, and the most powerful nuclear weapon ever created and tested. Overall, the Soviet physicist Andrei ...

an extremely large three stage bomb, initially designed as a 100-megaton-bomb, but was scaled down to 50 megatons for testing. *

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapo ...

s **RDS-9, 40 kiloton warhead for R-5M MRBM (SS-3) **RDS-37 3 megaton warhead for R7 Semyorka / SS-6 ICBM **RDS-46 5 megaton warhead for R-7A Semyorka / SS-6 ICBM **8F17 3 megaton warhead for R-16 / SS-7 ICBM **8F115 and 8F116 5-6 megaton warhead for R-16 / SS-7 ICBM **Unknown model warheads for R-9 / SS-8 Sasin ICBM **15F42 1.2 megaton warhead for UR 100U / SS-11 Mod 3 Sego ICBM **Unknown model 750

kiloton TNT equivalent is a convention for expressing energy, typically used to describe the energy released in an explosion. The is a unit of energy defined by that convention to be , which is the approximate energy released in the detonation of a ...

to 1.0 megaton warhead for RT-2 / SS-13 Mod 1 Savage ICBM **15F1r 750 kiloton to 1.65 megaton warhead for RT-2 / SS-13 Mod 2 Savage ICBM **Unknown model 466 kiloton warhead for RT-2 / SS-13 Mod 3 Savage ICBM **Unknown model 500 kiloton warhead for RT-20 / SS-15 Scrooge ICBM **Unknown model 1.5 megaton warhead for RT-20 / SS-15 Scrooge ICBM **Unknown model 650 kiloton to 1.5 megaton warheads for RT-21 Temp 2S SS-16 Sinner ICBM **Unknown model 300–750 kiloton warheads for MR-UR-100 Sotka / SS-17 Spanker Mod 1 ICBM **Unknown model 4–6 megaton warhead for MR-UR-100 Sotka / SS-17 Spanker Mod 2 ICBM **8F675 (Mod2) 20 megaton warhead for R-36M2 / SS-18 Satan ICBM **8F021 2 or 5 megaton warheads for R-36MP / SS-18 Satan ICBM (3 MIRV warheads) **unknown 550 kiloton warheads for R-36M2 / SS-18 Satan ICBM (10 MIRV warheads) **Unknown model 750 kiloton warheads for R-36M2 / SS-18 Satan ICBM (10 MIRV warheads) **Unknown model 550 kiloton warheads for UR-100N / SS-19 Mod 1 Stiletto ICBM (6 MIRV warheads) **Unknown model 2.5–5 megaton warhead for UR-100N / SS-19 Mod 2 Stiletto ICBM **Unknown model 550 kiloton warheads for RT-23 Molodets / SS-24 Scalpel ICBM (10 MIRV warheads) **Unknown model 550 kiloton warhead for RT-2PM Topol / SS-25 Sickle ICBM **Unknown model 550 kiloton warhead for RT-2UTTH Topol M / SS-27 ICBM *Various

tactical nuclear weapons A tactical nuclear weapon (TNW) or non-strategic nuclear weapon (NSNW) is a nuclear weapon that is designed to be used on a battlefield in military situations, mostly with friendly forces in proximity and perhaps even on contested friendly territo ...

including "

suitcase bomb A suitcase nuclear device (also suitcase nuke, suitcase bomb, backpack nuke, snuke, mini-nuke, and pocket nuke) is a tactical nuclear weapon that is portable enough that it could use a suitcase as its delivery method. Both the United States ...

s" (RA-115 or RA-115-01 as examples)

United Kingdom

* Blue Steel * Yellow Sun productionised air-delivered thermonuclear bomb casing. * Warheads ** Blue Danube Fission weapon. ** Red Snow for Yellow Sun Mk.2. ** Green Grass For Yellow Sun Mk.1. **

Red Beard is a 1965 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa, in his last collaboration with actor Toshiro Mifune. Based on Shūgorō Yamamoto's 1959 short story collection, '' Akahige Shinryōtan'', the film takes pl ...

, tactical nuclear weapon. ** WE.177 (also used as a nuclear depth charge). ** Blue Cat – nuclear warhead a.k.a. Tony - UK version of US W44, a.k.a. ''Tsetse''. ** Blue Fox – kiloton range nuclear weapon, later renamed Indigo Hammer - not to be confused with the later Blue Fox radar. **

Blue Peacock Blue Peacock, renamed from Blue Bunny and originally Brown Bunny, was a British tactical nuclear weapon project in the 1950s. The project's goal was to store a number of ten-kiloton nuclear land mines in Germany. These mines which were intende ...

ten-kiloton nuclear land mine, a.k.a. the "chicken-powered nuclear bomb", originally 'Blue Bunny' It used the Blue Danube physics package. ** Blue Rosette – short-case nuclear weapon bomb casing for reconnaissance bomber to spec R156T, including the Avro 730, Handley Page HP.100, English Electric P10, Vickers SP4 and various others. ** Blue Slug – nuclear ship-to-ship missile using Sea Slug launcher. ** Blue Water – nuclear armed surface to surface missile. ** Green Bamboo – nuclear weapon. ** Green Cheese – nuclear anti-ship missile. ** Green Flash – Green Cheese's replacement. **

Green Granite Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...

– nuclear weapons – Green Granite (small) & Green Granite (large). ** Green Grass – nuclear weapon ** Indigo Hammer – nuclear weapon ** Orange Herald – fusion-boosted fission weapon. It is believed that the fusion boost didn't work, which would make it the most powerful fission bomb ever tested at 720 kt. ** Violet Club – nuclear weapon

France

France is said to have an arsenal of 350 nuclear weapons stockpiled as of 2002. *Bombs ** AN 11 ** AN 22 ** AN 52 (

MR 50 CTC ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

) *Warheads (and missiles) ** MR 31 ( S2) ** MR 41 ( M1 and M2) **

( AN 51 CTC and AN 52 CTC) ** AN 51 CTC (

Pluton In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

) ** AN 52 CTC ( AN 52) ** TN 60 ( M20) ** TN 61 ( M20 and S3) ** TN 70 MIRV ( M4) ** TN 71 MIRV ( M4) **

TN 75 The TN 75 is a French-built 150kt thermonuclear warhead used on France's M45 and M51 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, carried by the last of the ''Redoutable'' class submarines, S616 '' Inflexible'', and by the ''Triomphant'' class sub ...

MIRV ( M45 and M51) ** TN 76 MIRV ( M5) ** TN 80 ( ASMP) ** TN 81 ( ASMP) ** TN 90 ( Hàdes) **

TNA TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

( ASMP-A) ** TNO MIRV ( M51)

China

China is believed to possess around 250 nuclear weapons, but has released very little information about the contents of its arsenal. *Tests: ** 596 (nuclear test) **

Test No. 6 Test No. 6 is the codename for China's first test of a three-staged thermonuclear device and, also its sixth nuclear weapons test. It was a part of the "Two Bombs, One Satellite" program. Development The device was detonated at Lop Nur Test ...

*Ballistic Missiles: ** DF-1 ** DF-2 ** DF-3A **

DF-4 The Dong Feng 4 () or DF-4 (also known as the CSS-3) is a first-generation two-stage Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile with liquid fuel (Nitric acid/ Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine). It was thought to be deployed in limited numbers i ...

DF-5 The Dongfeng 5 () or DF-5 is a second-generation multistage rocket, two stage Chinese intercontinental ballistic missile. It has a length of 32.6 m and a diameter of 3.35 m. It weighs in at 183,000 kilograms and it has an estimated range of 12,00 ...

** DF-11 ** DF-15 **

DF-21 The Dong-Feng 21 (DF-21; NATO reporting name CSS-5 - Dong-Feng () is a two-stage, solid-fuel rocket, single-warhead medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) in the Dong Feng series developed by China Changfeng Mechanics and Electronics Technology A ...

** DF-31 ** DF-31B ** DF-41 **

JL-1 The Julang-1 (, also known as the JL-1; NATO reporting name CSS-N-3) was China's first generation nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). According to a US Department of Defense report in 2011, the operational status of the JL-1 was ...

JL-2 The JL-2 (, NATO reporting name CSS-N-14) is a Chinese second-generation intercontinental-range submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) deployed on the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) Type 094 submarines. It succeeds the JL-1 SLBM ...

B-611 The B-611 is a Chinese solid-fuelled short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) developed by China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation (CPMIEC). The missile has a maximum range of 150–400 km. The B-611 development began developmen ...

** P-12 *Cruise Missiles ** DH-10 ** CJ-10 ** HN1 ** HN2 ** HN3 ** CF-2 ** CF-1 ** SS-N-2

India

Although India's nuclear programme and its details are highly classified, international figures suggest that India possesses about 150 nuclear weapons, with enough weapons-grade plutonium for another 150–200 nuclear weapons (2020 estimate). In 1999, India was estimated to have 800 kg of separated reactor-grade plutonium, with a total amount of 8,300 kg of civilian plutonium, enough for approximately 1,000 nuclear weapons.

Israel

Israel is widely believed to possess a substantial arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles, estimated at 75–130 and 100–200 warheads, but refuses officially to confirm or deny whether it has a nuclear weapon program, leaving the details of any such weapons unclear. Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician for Israel, confirmed the existence of a nuclear weapons program in 1986. Unconfirmed rumors have hinted at tactical nuclear artillery shells, light fission bombs and missile warheads, and perhaps thermonuclear missile warheads. The

BBC News Online BBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. It is one of the most popular news websites, with 1.2 billion website visits in April 2021, as well as being used by 60% of the ...

website published an article on 28 May 2008, which quotes former U.S. President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

as stating that Israel has at least 150 nuclear weapons. The article continues to state that this is the second confirmation of Israel's nuclear capability by a U.S. spokesman following comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a Senate hearing and had apparently been confirmed a short time later by Israeli Prime Minister

Ehud Olmert Ehud Olmert (; he, אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and ...

."Israel 'has 150 nuclear weapons'", ''BBC News Online''
May 28, 2008

Pakistan

As of June 2019,

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

is believed to possess about 160

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

. The specifications of its weapon production are not disclosed to the public. The main series for nuclear transportation is Hatf (lit. ''Target'').

North Korea

North Korea claims to possess nuclear weapons, however, the specifications of its systems are not public. It is estimated to have 6–18 low yield nuclear weapons (August 2012 estimate). On 9 October 2006, North Korea achieved its first nuclear detonation. On 25 May 2009, North Korea conducted a second test of nuclear weapons at the same location as the original test. The test weapon was of the same magnitude as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in the 2nd World War. At the same time of the test, North Korea tested two short range ballistic missiles. The country tested a 7 kt nuclear weapon on 2 February 2013. On 3 September 2017, North Korea conducted an underground thermonuclear test which had an estimated yield of 100kt to 250kt, according to various sources.

South Africa

South Africa built six or seven gun-type weapons. All constructed weapons were verified by

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 195 ...

and other international observers to have been dismantled, along with the complete weapons program, and their highly enriched uranium was reprocessed back into low enriched form unsuitable for weapons.

References

Bibliography

* Holloway, David, ''Stalin and the Bomb,'' New Haven & London,

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Univers ...

, 1994, . * Zaloga, Steven J., ''The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword'' Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002, . *Hansen, Chuck. ''U.S. Nuclear Weapons''. Arlington, Texas, Areofax, Inc., 1988. . *Gibson, James N. ''Nuclear Weapons of the United States,'' Altglen, PA, Schiffer Publishing, 1996, . * Cochran, Thomas, Arkin, William, Hoenig, Milton "Nuclear Weapons Databook, Volume I, U.S. Nuclear Forces and Capabilities," Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ballinger Pub. Co., 1984, . * Hansen, Chuck,
Swords of Armageddon
(CD-ROM & download available). PDF. 2,600 pages, Sunnyvale, California, Chucklea Publications, 1995, 2007. (2nd Ed.)

External links

* – indicates that "most international experts conclude that South Africa has completed its nuclear disarmament. South Africa is the first and to date only country to build nuclear weapons and then entirely dismantle its nuclear weapons program." {{DEFAULTSORT:Nuclear Weapons * Lists of weapons

Weapons A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...