A Nuclear Broken Arrow - An unexpected and unplanned event, involving nuclear weapons, such as: accidents in launching, firing, detonating, theft and loss of the weapon.
The Swan primary of Operation Plumbbob: Diablo, on July 15, 1957, at the Nevada Test Site, Area 2 b, was fired in a full-sized structural model of the thermonuclear system. Boken Arrow: Diablo misfired. The discussion and investigation lasted over a day, trying to understand what could have gone wrong, and more importantly who was going to disarm and inspect a faulty nuke. Finally the crew of 3 engineers who were the last on the tower was assigned to this dangerous task. Eventually it ended up good, and the device was successfully disarmed. Though disarming a nuclear bomb that didn't go off after firing and potentially could've detonated at any second was more than a tough job.
~CrazyHorse BrokenArrow :: “Calling an airstrike near a friendly position, overrun by foe, creating high probability of 'Blue-on-Blue'” :: ApacheTom ~If each human family were dependent only on its own resources; if the children of improvident parents starved to death; if thus, over breeding brought its own "punishment" to the germ line -- then there would be no public interest in controlling the breeding of families. But our society is deeply committed to the welfare state, and hence is confronted with another aspect of the tragedy of the commons.
In a welfare state, how shall we deal with the family, the religion, the race, or the class that adopts over breeding as a policy to secure its own aggrandizement? To couple the concept of freedom to breed with the belief that everyone born has an equal right to the commons is to lock the world into a tragic course of action.
The most important aspect of necessity that we must now recognize, is the necessity of abandoning the commons in breeding. No technical solution can rescue us from the misery of overpopulation. Freedom to breed will bring ruin to all.
~ RRR Zhivago Hunter :: “Nuclear Freedom is the Recognition of Mutual Coercion, Mutually Agreed Upon Procreation Values Necessity” :: Buffalo Bill DMW ~"It is important to understand the distinction between information and intelligence. Information is an assimilation of data that has been gathered, but not fully correlated, analyzed, or interpreted. Intelligence, on the other hand, is the transformation of information into knowledge and insight." -- Admiral Jeremy Boorda, Joint Military Intelligence College
~ Santa Clausiwitz NSA PsyOps :: How Will World War IV (We Need to 'Cull' the Surplus Population) be fought? :: Slamdunk Tzu CIA PsyOps ~
Crazy Horse BrokenArrow ApacheTom
General Omar Bradley recalled that his column was attacked by American A-36s in Sicily. The tanks lit yellow smoke flares to identify themselves to their own aircraft, but the attacks continued, so the tanks were forced to fire and downed an aircraft. The parachuting pilot was brought before Bradley. 'You stupid sonofabitch!' Bradley fumed. 'Didn't you see our yellow recognition signals?' The pilot replied 'Oh, is that what that was?'
On May 11, 1969, during the Battle of Hamburger Hill, Lt. Col. Weldon Honeycutt directed Cobra helicopter gunships, known as Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA), to support an infantry assault. In the heavy jungle, the Cobras mistook the command post of the 3/187th battalion for a Vietnamese unit and attacked, killing two and wounding thirty-five, including Honeycutt. This incident disrupted battalion command and control and forced 3/187th to withdraw into night defensive positions.
8 June 1967 - During the Six-Day War conflict between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq, the U.S. Navy signals intelligence ship, USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats in international waters about 12.5 nautical miles (23 km) from the coast of the Sinai Peninsula, north of the Egyptian town of El Arish.
Did you see them, did you see them?
Did you see them in the river?
They were there to wave to you.
Could you tell that the empty quiver,
Brown skinned Indian on the banks
That were crowded and narrow,
Held a broken arrow?
Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strikes Military Gospel Doctrine
It’s going to get much worse. It is going to continue to get worse as you continue to believe what cannot be true. As long as you pull the comforter of delusion over your head the nightmares are going to get worse. They breed in that environment. They like it there.
When it is time to wake up and you do not wake up, then the means applied to wake you up are going to intensify and intensify until you do wake up. Your real enemies are the people who are pointing your attention in the direction of an imaginary enemy. Your primary, real enemy is your ignorance and obstinacy. Your secondary enemy is the one manipulating both for their profit and entertainment.
You need to realize that what is victimizing you is not just doing it to keep you in fear and to bleed you dry. These agencies and entities enjoy the spectacle of what they are putting you through. When you suffer and place the blame on something that never existed or is long dead, they laugh. You amuse the hell out of them. You had better wake up.
~ Santa Clausiwitz NSA PsyOps :: The fact is one cannot begin to search for a solution to a 'Hell Hath No Fury....' problem that has yet to be accurately defined.. :: Slamdunk Tzu CIA PsyOps~
OPERATION TEAPOT
WASPTest: Wasp;
Date: February 8, 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Frenchman Flats;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 1kt;
Type: Fission
Wasp was the first test in operation Teapot series and it was 50th US nuclear test. Fission type device was expected to have approx. 1Kt yield. Test itself was an airdrop. Actual yield was as predicted, 1Kt.
MOTH
Test: Moth;
Date: February 22 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 3;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 300ft;
Yield: 2kt;
Type: Fission
TESLA
Test: Tesla;
Date: March 12 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 9;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 300ft;
Yield: 7kt;
Type: Fission
HORNET
Test: Hornet;
Date: March 12 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 3a;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 300ft;
Yield: 4kt;
Type: Fission
APPLE I
Test: Apple I;
Date: March 29 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 4;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 14kt;
Type: Fission
HA
Test: HA;
Date: April 6, 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Frenchman Flats;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 40,000ft;
Yield: 3kt;
Type: Fission
High altitude test conducted during Teapot. Airdrop. This detonation doesn't meet official 100,000ft altitude to be classified as High Altitude officially. Howeer, historical research and data publications still include it in high altitude tests. Which probably is still appropriate.
MET
Test: Met;
Date: April 15 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Frenchman Flats;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 400ft;
Yield: 22kt;
Type: Fission
APPLE II
Test: Apple II;
Date: March 29 1955;
Operation: Teapot;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 1;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 29kt;
Type: Fission
RUSSIA
RU-24/RDS37
Name: No. 24/RDS-37;
Date: November 22, 1955;
Site: Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan;
Detonation: Air drop;
Yield: 1.6Mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion, U235/Li6/Tritium
24th nuclear detonation of USSR. This was the first air delivered thermonuclear weapon test. The device codenamed RDS-37 was built upon Sakharov's Third idea, basically this is same as Teller-Ulam design. As I understand Soviets came to the idea independently, and Teller confirms this in his interview.
After successfull testign all Soviet weapons were built using this design, and the Sloika was dropped. The yield has been reduced approximately by 50%, because part of Li6 Deuteride fusion fuel has been replaced with ordinary Lithium hydride.
As usual, the pilot commanding the air crew, F. P. Golovashko has been made a hero of USSR.
OPERATION REDWING
SEMINOLE
Test: Seminole;
Date: June 6 1956;
Operation: Redwing;
Site: Eniwetak Atoll, Bogon Island;
Detonation: Surface, elevation - 7ft(2.1);
Yield: 13.7kt;
Type: Fission
Seminole was a combined wepon design/effect test. The test device was exploded in a large water tank to increase the shockwave to the ground. To some extent the test was simulating an underground nuclear detonation. The test device was positioned in a circular chamber, wchich in turn was placed inside the water tank. The chamber still was accessible by a corridor through the tank. Interestig point, the chamber was not exactly in the center of the tank, to be precise - 10 feet off center. That led to a significant asymmetry in the resulting crater produced. The crater was 660 feet wide and 32 feet deep.
The device was designed so that by the time when the fireball reached the tank walls the its growth would've been transformed from thermal radiation into hydrodynamic. Nevertheless the fireball was quite brigh as you can see on the pictures. In general Seminole was one of the most interesting (from visual standpoint) tests ever conducted.
And couple words about the nuclear device itself: The device used in the Seminole tyest was a bosted TX-28 primary/implosion system. It was 55 inches long, and 20 inches in diameter. Predicted predicted yield of 10 kt, actual yield 13.7. Total weight of the device was 1832 lb, the primary itself weighed 143.5 lb.
BLACKFOOT
Test: Blackfoot;
Date: June 11 1956;
Operation: Redwing;
Site: Runit (Yvonne) Island, Enewetak Atoll;
Detonation: Tower, 200ft;
Yield: 8kt;
Type: Fission
DAKOTA
Test: Dakota;
Date: June 25 1956;
Operation: Redwing;
Site: Bikini Atoll lagoon, Yurochi (Dog) Island;
Detonation: Barge, 5000 feet off Yurochi Island;
Yield: 1.1Mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
APACHE
Test: Apache;
Date: July 8 1956;
Operation: Redwing;
Site: Enewetak Atoll;
Detonation: Barge, in the Ivy Mike crater;
Yield: 1.85Mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
MOHAWK
Test: Mohawk;
Date: July 2 1956;
Operation: Redwing;
Site: Eberiru (Ruby) Island, Enewetak Atoll;
Detonation: Tower, 300ft;
Yield: 360kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
PROJECT MOSAIC (UK)
G2
Test: G2;
Date: June 19 1956;
Operation: Mosaic;
Site: Alpha Island in the Monte Bello Islands, Australia;
Detonation: Aluminum Tower Shot, altitude - 100ft(31m);
Yield: 98kt;
Type: Fission
OPERATION BUFFALO
R4
Round 4;
Date: October 22 1956;
Operation: Buffalo;
Site: Breakaway Site, Maralinga Test Range;
Detonation: Aluminum Tower Shot, altitude - 110ft(34m);
Yield: less than 16kt;
Type: Fission
OPERATION GRAPPLE
GRANITE
Test: Short Granite;
Date: May 15 1957;
Operation: Grapple;
Site: Malden Island, Pacific;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 7750ft(2400m);
Yield: 200-300kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
HALLIARD
Test: Halliard 1;
Date: September 11 1958;
Operation: Grapple;
Site: Christmas Island, Pacific;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 8550ft(2650m);
Yield: 1.8mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
ROUND C
Test: Round C;
Date: November 8 1957;
Operation: Grapple;
Site: Christmas Island, Pacific;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 7260ft(2250m);
Yield: 1.8mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
OPERATION PLUMBBOB
BOLTZMAN
Test: Boltzman;
Date: May 28 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 7;
Detonation: Tower Shot, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 12kt;
Type: Fission
FRANKLIN
Test: Franklin;
Date: June 2 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 3;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 300ft;
Yield: 140 tons;
Type: Fission
PRISCILLA
Test: Priscilla;
Date: June 24 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 5;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 700ft;
Yield: 37kt;
Type: Fission
HOOD
Test: Hood;
Date: July 5 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 9;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 74kt;
Type: Fission
DIABLO
Test: Diablo;
Date: July 15 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 2b;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 17kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
The Diablo shot was a developmental test of another two stage thermonuclear design. The Swan primary was fired in a full-sized structural model of the thermonuclear system. The test device measured 16.2 inches in diameter and 68.4 inches in length. Total weight was 1352 lb. This test device was fairly similar to the one used during the Shasta shot.
The predicted yield was 11-15kt including the yield produced by the secondary stage. The full scale device test was scheduled to be conducted during the operation Hardtack I.
Another interesting detail about the Diablo shot was that it became one of the Broken Arrows. Originally the test has been planned 17 days earlier, but it misfired. The discussion and investigation lasted over a day, truing to understand what could have gone wrong, and more importantly who was going to disarm and inspect a faulty nuke. Finally the crew of 3 engineers who were the last on the tower was assigned to this dangerous task. Eventually it ended up good, and the device was successfully disarmed. Though disarming a nuclear bomb that didn't go off after firing and potentially could've detonated at any second was more than a tough job. For more info you can check out Nuclear 911, yet another movie from VCE, completely dedicated to Broken Arrows.
JOHN
Test: John;
Date: July 19 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 10;
Detonation: Rocket, altitude - 18,500ft;
Yield: 1.7kt;
Type: Fission
STOKES
Test: Stokes;
Date: August 7 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 7b;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 19kt;
Type: Fission
SHASTA
Test: Shasta;
Date: August 18 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 2b;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 17kt;
Type: Fission
DOPPLER
Test: Doppler;
Date: August 23 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 7;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 11kt;
Type: Fission
SMOKY
Test: Smoky;
Date: August 31 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 8;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 700ft;
Yield: 44kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
FIZEAU
Test: Fizeau;
Date: September 14 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 3b;
Detonation: Tower, altitude - 500ft;
Yield: 11kt;
Type: Boosted Fission
CHARLESTON
Test: Charleston;
Date: September 28 1957;
Operation: Plumbbob;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 9;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 12kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
OPERATION HARDTACK I
CACTUS
Test: Cactus;
Date: May 5 1958;
Operation: Hardtack I;
Site: Runit (Yvonne) Island, Enewetak Atoll;
Detonation: Surface, 3ft off shot building floor;
Yield: 18kt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
During the Cactus shot, Los-Alamos tested MK-43 primary in a thermonuclear system mockup. The test device itself used in Cactus was similar to that of used in the Elder test later in the same Operation. Predicted yield was 13-14 kt and the actual yeald - 18kt. The device primary itself weighed 110.3 lb (50 kg), while overall device weight was 1432 lb. Dimentions - the test device measured 18 inches in width and a 69 in length.
The device was detonated 596 feet southwest of the Lacrosse crater(fired during the operation Redwing). The Cactus shot resulted in a crater that had a diameter of 346 feet, and a maximum depth of 37.2 feet. Interesting thing about the Cactus shot is that many years later the crater was used as a burial pit for the redioactive debreed scraped from all the Enewetak Atooll isalds. Over 110 000 cubic yards of soil was brought here and dumped in the crater. Once done, the crater was covered with concrete dome.
UMBRELLA
Test: Umbrella;
Date: June 8 1958;
Operation: Hardtack I;
Site: Enewetak Lagoon;
Detonation: Underwater, depth - 150ft;
Yield: 8kt;
Type: Fission
OAK
Test: Oak;
Date: June 28 1958;
Operation: Hardtack I;
Site: Enewetak Lagoon;
Detonation: Barge, 8.6ft elevation from the surface;
Yield: 8.9mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
Oak was a test of prototype devuce for TX-46 system designed in Los Alamos. The device was similar to those used in Butternut and Yellowwood, which was a failure. Because of the Yellowwood device failure changes were made to Oak test device, basically secondary stage was bumped up. The result ws remarkable, especially compared to previous failure. Predicted yield of 7.5 Mgt was exceeded by over one megaton, resulting in yield of 8.9 Mgt detonation. By the way, mainly it was the fusion yield that was increased, not the fussion. Instead of 4 mgt fission accounted for 5 mgt yield. Thus, Oak became 6th largest nuclear detonation even conducted by US.
The test was conducted in the lagoon, although the water was very shallow, only 12ft deep. Oak test device itself was on the small barge. Explosion produced a crater that was 204ft deep and had 5740ft diameter.
The Oak test device was 100.5 inches long cylindrical shaped object, with 37 inches in diameter and weighed 6113 lb. This design eventually became 9 Mt W/Mk-53 warhead used on the Titan II missile and in the Mk-53 strategic bomb. Actually it became one of the longest lastign designs in US nuclear armament, being in service till 1997.
OPERATION HARDTACK II
SOCORRO
Test: Socorro;
Date: October 22 1958;
Operation: Hardtack II;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 7b;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1450ft;
Yield: 18kt;
Type: Fission
DE BACCA
Test: De Baca;
Date: October 26 1958;
Operation: Hardtack II;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 7b;
Detonation: Baloon, altitude - 1500ft;
Yield: 2.2kt;
Type: Fission
RUSSIA
TZAR BOMBA
Name: Tzar Bomba;
Date: October 30, 1961;
Site: Novaya Zemlya;
Detonation: Airburst;
Yield 50Mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
On October 30, 1961, Tu-95 Bear bomber guided by pilot A. E. Durnovtsev(he was made a Hero of the Soviet Union) flew towards Novaya the Zemlya Island in the Arctic Sea. That day will forever remain in nuclear history as a day when the most powerful thermonuclear has been detonated. Tzar Bomba (King Of The Bombs) yielded 50Mgt. Originally US estimated its yield as 58 Mgt, however resently declassified Russian materials show 50Mgt figure. Apparenly US overestimated bomb power.
Probably only first nuclear and thermonuclear bombs caused as much reaction as Tzar Bomba did. And there were reasons for that. Several events prior to bomb detonation:
- Jan. 1960 - Khrushchev's speech at the United Nations for support of "wars of national liberation". Everyone understands what does it mean - Communist intervension into third world countries.
- Jan. 1961 - John Fitzgerald Kennedy in his inauguration speech replied: "...oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty".
- June 1961 - General Secretary Krushchev assures US President Kennedy that the Soviet Union wouldn't conduct any nuclear devices if the United States would maintain the same moratorium. As the world will see soon, this was a shameless lie.
- July 10, 1961 - Nikita Khruschev meets Andrey Sakharov, the senior weapon designer by the time, and orders the development of a 100 megaton bomb. The device had to be ready by September of the same year, so that the detonation of such power would create maximum political effect.
- Aug 1961 - Soviets build the infamous Berlin Wall, dividing Berlin into two separate cities: East Berlin (communist) and West Berlin (democratic).
- Sept. 1961 - President Kennedy's letter in the LIFE magazine, advising Americans to build fallout shelters. For an entire year the fallout hysteria is raging.
As you can see Sakharov didn't have much time for development. Nevertheless, Tzar is developed in a remarkably short time, just fourteen weeks after the initiation of its design. The fully operational bomb weights 27 metric tons. Which is more than any bomber can carry at that time. Hence, the decision is made to produce Tzar's scaled down version. That was done by replacing the uranium fusion tamper (which increases the yield significantly) with one made of lead. That reduces the weight and eliminates fast fission by the fusion neutrons, hence reducing the power of the original version. A 50 megaton bomb was now ready to be detonated.
Tzar test was a parachute retarded Airburst at 4000 meter altitude. Delivery method, Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber. The explosion of the immense power significantly increased overall fission fallout in the world. It was clear that from the military standpoint, the bomb of that size was ineffective as a "City Killer", nevertheless USSR did need the bomb as an intimidating factor in the political battle with US. It was meant to create the illusion that USSR wasn't far behind from US with its nuclear armament, if not exceeding. In fact USSR had less nuclear weapons at that time. Tzar's detonation caused very negative response from the free world, but less likely that USSR cared about that, it was an act of intimidation, nothing else. Interesting fact, Tzar's the huge parachute made of nylon, disrupted Soviet nylon industry for a long time.
Ostensibly, Tzar didn't end the Cold War, nor helped to scale it down in any way. It proved that the delivery of nuclear weapons by strategic bombers, and aircraft in general was not an efficient way during wartime. It emphasize the necessity of the reliable, fast, cost effective, immediate response to nuclear attack cost effective to maintain. The result was the creation of new nuclear weapons of war. The ICBM - intercontinental ballistic missile.
OPERATION STORAX
SEDAN
Test: Sedan;
Date: July 6 1962;
Operation: Storax;
Site: Nevada Test Site (NTS), Area 10;
Detonation: Subsurface, depth - 635 feet;
Yield: 104kt;
Type: Fission
OPERATION DOMINIC
TRUCKEE
Test: Truckee;
Date: June 9 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 10 Mi. S of Christmas Island;
Detonation: B-52 Airdrop, altitude - 6,970ft;
Yield: 210kt;
Type: Fission
Truckee test was a successfull test of x58 missile warhead for Polaris A2 missle. Basically this was verification of the older warhead in a new case for the new missile. Performance was considered satisfactory and the warhead went into production. Polaris A2 missile carried 2 of those warheads.
SWORDFISH
Test: Swordfish;
Date: May 11 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 400 nMi. W of San Digeo;
Detonation: Rocket Launched Depth Bomb, underwater, at 650ft;
Yield: 20Kt;
Type: Fission
Swordfish became US last underwater test. Overall, during the years of testing US conducted 5 underwater nuclear tests, including Swordfish.
Swordfish test pursued several objectives, including: Wepon effect on ships, submarines sonars, etc. For that several US navy vessels including 4 destroyers and a submarine on the surface wre positioned on various distances from ground(probably surface) zero, 2000 yd to 4500 yd; Evaluation of the safety for the vessels launching nuclear weapons; Proofing test of firing ASROC missile.
The missile was launched from the destroyer USS Agerholm (DD-826). Target surface zero) was approx. 4300 yd. away. Bombing was relatively precise, as the rocket missed its target by 20 yd. and exploded at a depth of 650ft 4o second after entering the water.
As usual underwater nuclear detonations are very spactacular. Swordfish was no exception. The resulting spray dome had 3000ft diameter and rose to 2100 ft in 16 seconds. Which means millions of tonns water in the air. Other than that the result was significant radiological contamination of the ocean.
YESO
Test: Yeso;
Date: June 10 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 20 Mi. S of Christmas Island;
Detonation: B-52 Airdrop, altitude - 8,325ft;
Yield: 3.0mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
BIGHORN
Test: Bighorn;
Date: June 27 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 30 Mi. S of Christmas Island;
Detonation: B-52 Airdrop, altitude - 11,810ft;
Yield: 7.650mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
BLUESTONE
Test: Bluestone;
Date: June 30 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 17 Mi. S of Christmas Island;
Detonation: B-52 Airdrop, altitude - 4,980ft;
Yield: 1.270mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
BLUEGILL
Test: Bluegill;
Date: October 26 1962;
Operation: Dominic;
Site: 19 Mi. SSW of Johnston Island;
Detonation: Thor missile airburst, altitude - 160,000ft;
Yield: 1mgt;
Type: Fission/Fusion
CHINA
6
Test: Test No. 6;
Date: June 17 1967;
Site: Lop Nur Test Ground;
Detonation: Airdrop, altitude - 9549ft(2960m);
Yield: 3.3mgt;
Type:Fission
596
596: Test: 596;
Date: October 16 1964;
Site: Lop Nur Test Ground;
Detonation: Tower Shot, altitude - 329ft(102m);
Yield: 22kt;
Type: Fission
NB NUCLEAR ANNIVERSARIES
November, 1931 - Deuterium discovered by Urey.
February, 1932 - Neutron discovered by Chadwick. (Existence of which was predicted by Rutherford).
December, 1934 - Artificial radioactivity discovered by Joliot-Curie [with alpha particles] and Fermi when he irradiated uranium with neutrons and produced the first transuranic element(and first fission reaction, though unknowingly at a time).
December, 1938 - Fermi Receives a Nobeli prize for discovering transuranic elements. Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann split the uranium atom by bombarding it with neutrons, producing the elements Barium and Krypton.
1939 - Hans A. Bethe creates theory about nuclear fusion. He suggested that much of the energy that Sun and other stars produce is the result from reactions in which four hydrogen nuclei unite, forming one helium nucleus while releasing a large amount of energy.
August, 1939 - Albert Einstein sends a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt. In this message he warns the president that Nazi Germany is attempting to build a new weapon which was more powerful and more destructive than any weapon ever known to mankind. That weapon is an Atomic Bomb. Practically the letter didn't have any influence, only after Pearl Harbor bombing by Japanese, US goverment made serious corrections to his "nuclear strategy" which eventually formed as Manhattan project.
September 17, 1942 - Although the Manhattan Project was officialy founded in august the real start was this day, when Col. Leslie Richard Groves got his assigmenet on this project.
July 16, 1945 - The first nuclear explosion, conducted by US, in Almagordo, New-Mexico, during the Trinity test, the device code named Gadget was detonated on the tower yielded 19 Kt and used Pu239. That was the logical end of 20 Billion cost Manhattan project.
August 06, 1945 - US exploded nuclear bomb over Hiroshima, Japan. The U235 gun-type bomb named Little Boy, detonated at 8:16:02 a.m. at an altitude of 1900 ft. In an instant 80,000 to 140,000 people were killed and 100,000 more were seriously injured. Yield 15Kt. Delivered by B29 Bomber Enola Gay.
August 09, 1945 - US exploded nuclear bomb over Nagasaki, Japan. The bomb named Fat-Man(special thanks to Lino for the cool pic:) was detonated at 11:02 am. at an altitude of 1500 ft. Fat Man used Pu239 instead U235 and it was more efficient, implosion type design. Of the 286,000 people living in Nagasaki at the time of the blast, 74,000 were killed and another 75,000 sustained severe injuries. Yield 21Kt. Delivered by B29 Bomber Bock's Car.
August 29, 1949 - USSR detonated his first nuclear bomb Joe-1,detonation at the Semipalatinsk test site. Yielded 22 Kt.
May 8, 1951 - During the operation Greenhouse US exploded the first fusion device called George on the atoll Enwetak. This was not a real bomb that could be delivered by an airplane or missile. Yielded 225 Kt.
October 3, 1952 - UK first nuclear detonation. Monte-Bello islands, Australia. The bomb called Hurricane was detonated on the ship.
October 31, 1952 - US exploded the first real H-bomb. During the operation Ivy, Mike shot yielded 10.4 Mgt. Surface explosion.
August 12, 1953 - USSR detonated his first fusion bomb, called Joe-4, on the tower, yielded 300 Kt.
March 1, 1954 - During the operation Castle on the Bikini atol, US detonated the thermonuclear bomb Bravo. Yield 15 Mgt. It became largest thermonuclear device ever detonated by US. Bravo was the first Teller-Ulam design where Lithium deuteride was used as a fuel. Subsequently, that became a standard for all thermonuclear weapon designs, including USSR nuclear weapons. Interestingly, the projected yield of the Bravo was only 4-6 Mgt. However during the explosion unpredicted, large amount of tritium was formed because of the fast neutron fission of Li7, which in turn increased the yield by some 250%. Unfortunately, Bravo explosion created significant rediological problems around the testing area.
February 13, 1960 - France detonated his first nuclear bomb in Algeria, Reggane Proving Grounds, this bomb - G Bleue yielded 70 Kt.
January 24, 1961 - Abother broken arrow. A B-52 strategic bomber flying from Saymore Johnson AFB suffers structural failure over North Carolina. 2 high yield, unarmesd thermonuclear weapons are released as a result. Parachute deploys on one bomb, which lands safely on the tree, receiving very little impact. Upon recovery examinators discovered that 5 out of 6 safety devices have failed. Realizing that only a single switch prevented unprecendented nuclear disaster, strategic command proceeds to install additional safety devices on all US nuclear weapons. Soviets were encouraged to follow as well.
October 30, 1961 - USSR broke the moratorium on the nuclear tests and conducted the biggest explosion of the thermonuclear device. The bomb called "Tzar Bomba" was air delivered (by Tu-95 Bear) and exploded in the atmosphere over the "Novaya Zemlya", (island in northern part of Russia, its name translates - something like "New land" ) yielded 50 Mgt. For more info click here
June 20, 1963 - U.S./U.S.S.R. sign 'hot line' agreement.
August 5, 1963 - Limited Test Ban Treaty signed.
October 16, 1964 - China detonated his first nuclear bomb called "596", that yielded 22Kt.
January 17, 1966 - U.S. B-52 bomber crashes near Palomares, Spain with 4 unarmed H-bombs. Recovered later, successfully.
September 24, 1966 - France detonated his first H-bomb, Tuamoto Islands.
June 17, 1967 - China detonated his first H-Bomb during the operation codenamed Test No. 6. Yield 3.3 Mgt.
May 18, 1974 - India detonates his first nuclear bomb, that yields 15 Kt.
May 11, 1998 - India detonates 3 nuclear devices. By indian officials version 1 thermonuclear and 2 nuclear devices were detonated.
The device that Indian goverment climed to be "Thermonuclear" was not an actual H-Bomb. In fact it was a boosted nuclear bomb and produced yield of approx. 43 Kt.
Second device detonated that day was a fission bomb and it yelded 12 Kt, third one yielded less than 1Kt.
On may 13 India detonated 2 more nuclear devices with total yield less than 1 Kt.
May 28, 1998 - Pakistan officials claimed to have detonated five simultaneous nuclear tests. All of them - boosted devices made with highly enriched Uranium. According to Pakistan a total yield was in the range of 40 to 45 kilotons. India disagrees :) suggesting slightly different number - 10 to 15 kilotons. Using seismic information, U.S. intelligence has confirmed only two nuclear explosions on may 28, yield - 6 kilotons. Pakistan detonated an additional nuclear device two days later, on May 30. claiming that the yield was in the range of 15-18 kilotons, but U.S. intelligence disagreed, bringing the 2 Kt. estimate.
Part 1: CrazyHorse BrokenArrow :: “Calling an airstrike near a friendly position, overrun by foe, creating high probability of 'Blue-on-Blue'” :: ApacheTom
Source: Nuclear and Thermonuclear Weapons History; Mushroom Cloud Image Gallery
