This article lists notable military accidents involving nuclear material. Civilian accidents are listed at
List of civilian nuclear accidents. For a general discussion of both civilian and military accidents, see
nuclear and radiation accidents
A nuclear and radiation accident is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "an event that has led to significant consequences to people, the environment or the facility." Examples include radiation poisoning, lethal effect ...
. For other lists, see
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
These are lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents.
Main lists
* List of nuclear and radiation accidents and incidents
* List of nuclear and radiation accidents by death toll
* List of civilian nuclear accidents
* List o ...
.
Scope of this article
In listing military nuclear accidents, the following criteria have been adopted:
# There must be well-attested and substantial health risks associated with nuclear materials; or, it must involve nuclear weapons (even if lacking an installed fissile core or if nuclear detonation was not possible).
# To qualify as "military", the nuclear operation/material must be principally for military purposes.
# To qualify as "accident", the damage should not be intentional, unlike in
nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a War, military conflict or prepared Policy, political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are Weapon of mass destruction, weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conven ...
.
This list may be incomplete due to military secrecy.
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
See also
*
1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident
On 26 September 1983, during the Cold War, the Soviet nuclear early warning system Oko reported the launch of one intercontinental ballistic missile with four more missiles behind it, from the United States. These missile attack warnings were s ...
*
International Nuclear Event Scale
The International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) was introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in order to enable prompt communication of safety significant information in case of nuclear accidents.
The s ...
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List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft
*
Lists of disasters
*
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 ...
*
Radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'' consisting of photons, such as radio waves, microwaves, infr ...
*
United States military nuclear incident terminology
*
Vulnerability of nuclear plants to attack
*
Broken Arrow (nuclear)
Notes and references
Bibliography
Annotated bibliography from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear related Issues and Incidents* Jean-Hugues Oppel, ''Réveillez le président !'', Éditions Payot et rivages, 2007 (). The book is a fiction about the
nuclear weapons of France; the book also contains about ten chapters on true historical incidents involving nuclear weapons and strategy (during the second half of the twentieth century).
* Nilsen, Thomas, Igor Kudrik and Alexandr Nikitin
Russian Northern Fleet: Sources of Radioactive Contamination ''Bellona Report'' 2:1996, 28. August 1996.
*
*''The Limits of Safety'' (1993, Princeton University Press) by Scott Sagan
External links
ProgettoHumus: From Trinity Test to...List of nuclear explosions in the world
ProgettoHumus List of all nuclear accidents in the history (updated)
Bibliography of military nuclear accidents from the Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues*
ttp://schema-root.org/technology/nuclear/power/accidents/ Schema-root.org: Nuclear Power Accidents 2 topics, both with a current news feed
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) websitewith search function and electronic public reading room
International Atomic Energy Agency websitewith extensive online library
Concerned Citizens for Nuclear SafetyDetailed articles on nuclear watchdog activities in the US
Background on ionizing radiation and doses,
World Nuclear AssociationCanadian Centre for Occupational Health & SafetyMore information on radiation units and doses.
Extensive, well-referenced list of radiological incidents.
A handy (if somewhat chilling) list of close calls.
list published by the Center for Defense Information
CDITrinity Atomic Bomb by U.S. National Atomic Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Nuclear Accidents
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Lists of nuclear disasters
Nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
* Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
Nuclear technology-related lists