The W93 is an American
nuclear warhead
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 expl ...
planned to replace the
W76
The W76 is an American thermonuclear warhead, designed for use on the UGM-96 Trident I submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and subsequently moved to the UGM-133 Trident II as Trident I was phased out of service. The first variant, th ...
and
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 pre ...
warheads on
United States 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 ...
submarines from 2034. The warhead will be carried on the new
Columbia-class submarine
The upcoming ''Columbia''-class (formerly known as the ''Ohio'' Replacement Submarine and SSBN-X Future Follow-on Submarine) are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines of the United States Navy, designed to replace the . Construction of th ...
s
and will use a new aeroshell, the Mark 7 reentry body (RB). The warhead will be designed by
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
.
The Mark 7 RB will also be used to house the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
's new warhead,
Astraea
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Astraea (; ), also spelled Astrea or Astria, is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity, and precision. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess of ...
, designed in parallel to the W93 and sharing some non-nuclear components.
Design
The warhead is expected to incorporate improved safety features such as
insensitive high explosives.
[ According to the ]United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear w ...
, the design will be based on previously tested nuclear components and will not require nuclear testing. However, some critics have called for testing the new design to ensure safety and reliability.
See also
*Trident (UK nuclear programme)
Trident, also known as the Trident nuclear programme or Trident nuclear deterrent, covers the development, procurement and operation of Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom, nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom and their means of delivery. It ...
*Astraea
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Astraea (; ), also spelled Astrea or Astria, is a daughter of Astraeus and Eos. She is the virgin goddess of justice, innocence, purity, and precision. She is closely associated with the Greek goddess of ...
- planned British warhead sharing Mark 7 RB
References
{{United States nuclear devices
Nuclear warheads of the United States