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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 on Atlas missiles. It used the Avco Mark 4 reentry vehicle.
| W38 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nuclear warhead |
| Service history | |
| In service | May 1961 - May 1965 |
| Used by | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Designed | 1956 to 1961 |
| No. built | 180 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) |
| Length | 82 inches (2,100 mm) (127 inches (3,200 mm) in RV) |
| Diameter | 32 inches (810 mm) |
Detonation mechanism | Contact, airburst |
| Blast yield | 4,500 kilotonnes of TNT (19,000 TJ) |
| References | [1][2] |
The W38 was 32 inches (81 cm) in diameter and 82.5 inches (2 m) long. It weighed 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) and had a design yield of 3.75 megatons with an airburst or contact fuze.[3]
The W38 was the first thermonuclear ICBM warhead developed by the UCRL (University of California Radiation Laboratory), which is now known as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The W38 was superseded by the Titan II missile family with a W53 warhead and 9 megaton payload.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Chuck Hansen (2007). Swords of Armageddon. Vol. VI. p. 262-265. ISBN 978-0-9791915-6-5.
- ^ History of the Mark 38 Warhead (Report). Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA). January 1968.
- ^ "List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons".
External links
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