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The T4
Allbombs.html list of nuclear weapons at nuclearweaponarchive.org
{{United States nuclear devices Atomic demolition munitions Gun-type nuclear bombs Nuclear weapons of the United States Land mines of the United States Cold War weapons of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1950s
The T4 Atomic Demolition Munition
Atomic demolition munitions (ADMs), colloquially known as nuclear land mines, are small nuclear explosive devices. ADMs were developed for both military and civilian purposes. As weapons, they were designed to be exploded in the forward battle a ...
(ADM) was a nuclear weapon derived from the American W9 nuclear artillery shell.
History
The T4 was produced in 1957 from recycled W9fissile
In nuclear engineering, fissile material is material that can undergo nuclear fission when struck by a neutron of low energy. A self-sustaining thermal Nuclear chain reaction#Fission chain reaction, chain reaction can only be achieved with fissil ...
components and was in service until 1963, when it was replaced with W30 Tactical Atomic Demolition Munitions and W45 Medium Atomic Demolition Munitions.
The weapon weighed and could be broken down into four sections for transport by a four-man crew.
Media coverage
An article in the mid-1990s in '' Soldier of Fortune'' magazine by a formerUS Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
Underwater Demolition Team
The Underwater Demolition Team (UDT), or frogmen, were amphibious units created by the United States Navy during World War II with specialized missions. They were predecessors of the Navy's current United States Navy SEAL, SEAL teams.
Their pri ...
member described the T4 ADM without naming it. The description was moderately detailed, including that the T4 was assembled from separate components:
*A gun barrel assembly, with the fission “bullet” and propellant
A propellant (or propellent) is a mass that is expelled or expanded in such a way as to create a thrust or another motive force in accordance with Newton's third law of motion, and "propel" a vehicle, projectile, or fluid payload. In vehicle ...
and detonator
A detonator is a device used to make an explosive or explosive device explode. Detonators come in a variety of types, depending on how they are initiated (chemically, mechanically, or electrically) and details of their inner working, which of ...
preloaded
*A base assembly, which the gun barrel screwed into, which was normally handled empty
*Three heavy HEU rings, which were added to the base assembly and came in separate carrying cases
These five components would be assembled by first transporting them to the target area, then loading the three uranium rings into the base assembly, then screwing the gun barrel assembly into the base. According to the article, two combination locks with different combinations were then activated by different team members, then the weapon could be armed and the timer set. Each component was reportedly heavy enough that it was a full load for one team member.
Reportedly, a major operational issue with planned usage of the T4 was the poor projected success rate of parachuting five team members into hostile territory at sea with a heavy load, having them all land close together, while being sufficiently uninjured to be able to finish transporting the weapon's components and assemble them. Several practice exercises failed to complete when team members landed too far away or were injured. Future ADM units were single-component and while they might require several people's codes to arm, were a single physical unit which did not need field assembly.
See also
* W54 Special Atomic Demolition Munition * List of nuclear weaponsReferences
External links
Allbombs.html list of nuclear weapons at nuclearweaponarchive.org
{{United States nuclear devices Atomic demolition munitions Gun-type nuclear bombs Nuclear weapons of the United States Land mines of the United States Cold War weapons of the United States Military equipment introduced in the 1950s