Mark 4 (nuclear weapon): Difference between revisions
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One of the earliest | One of the earliest United States nuclear weapons, the '''Mark 4''' was still first-generation but a production-quality, re-engineered version of the Fat Man (nuclear weapon)|Fat Man bomb that had been used on Nagasaki. An fission device|implosion device, its yield of which could be varied from 1, 3.5, 8, 14, 21, 22, and 31 kt by exchanging the plutonium pits; it also contained uranium. Mark 4 was the first weapon made on an assembly line rather than by hand. 550 were produced.<ref>{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.strategic-air-command.com/weapons/nuclear_bomb_chart.htm | | url = http://www.strategic-air-command.com/weapons/nuclear_bomb_chart.htm | ||
| title = Chart of Strategic Nuclear Bombs | | title = Chart of Strategic Nuclear Bombs | ||
| publisher = StrategicAirCommand.com}}</ref> | | publisher = StrategicAirCommand.com}}</ref> | ||
==Relation to later devices== | ==Relation to later devices== | ||
It was among the design ancestors of the first deployed British nuclear weapon, the Blue Danube (nuclear weapon)|Blue Danube bomb. Mark 4 was also the basis of the first systematic engineering testing of United States of America|U.S. bombs since World War II, in the 1951 Operation Ranger a series of air drops over the Nevada (U.S. state)|Nevada desert. The test program explored variations in the Mark 4 core, and then tested the Mark 6 (nuclear weapon),<ref>{{citation | |||
It was among the design ancestors of the first deployed British nuclear weapon, the | |||
| title = Operation Ranger: 1951 | | title = Operation Ranger: 1951 | ||
| date = 3 January 2005 | | date = 3 January 2005 | ||
| url = http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ranger.html | | url = http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Tests/Ranger.html | ||
| publisher = Nuclear Weapons Archive}}</ref> essentially an improved, lighter-weight Mark 4. | | publisher = Nuclear Weapons Archive}}</ref> essentially an improved, lighter-weight Mark 4. | ||
==Accidents== | ==Accidents== | ||
{{main|Nuclear weapons accidents}} | {{main|Nuclear weapons accidents}} | ||
The Mark 4 was the first bomb involved in an operational accident. On 10 November 1950. a | The Mark 4 was the first bomb involved in an operational accident. On 10 November 1950. a B-50, in mechanical distress, jettisoned its bomb over the St. Lawrence River, approximately 300 miles northeast of Montreal, Quebec. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact, scattering nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. Its plutonium pit remained aboard the aircraft, which later landed safely. <ref>{{citation | ||
| url = http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml | | url = http://www.atomicarchive.com/Almanac/Brokenarrows_static.shtml | ||
| title = Broken Arrows: Nuclear Weapons Accidents | | title = Broken Arrows: Nuclear Weapons Accidents | ||
Latest revision as of 13:03, 19 March 2024
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 One of the earliest United States nuclear weapons, the Mark 4 was still first-generation but a production-quality, re-engineered version of the Fat Man (nuclear weapon)|Fat Man bomb that had been used on Nagasaki. An fission device|implosion device, its yield of which could be varied from 1, 3.5, 8, 14, 21, 22, and 31 kt by exchanging the plutonium pits; it also contained uranium. Mark 4 was the first weapon made on an assembly line rather than by hand. 550 were produced.[1] Relation to later devicesIt was among the design ancestors of the first deployed British nuclear weapon, the Blue Danube (nuclear weapon)|Blue Danube bomb. Mark 4 was also the basis of the first systematic engineering testing of United States of America|U.S. bombs since World War II, in the 1951 Operation Ranger a series of air drops over the Nevada (U.S. state)|Nevada desert. The test program explored variations in the Mark 4 core, and then tested the Mark 6 (nuclear weapon),[2] essentially an improved, lighter-weight Mark 4. AccidentsThe Mark 4 was the first bomb involved in an operational accident. On 10 November 1950. a B-50, in mechanical distress, jettisoned its bomb over the St. Lawrence River, approximately 300 miles northeast of Montreal, Quebec. The weapon's HE [high explosive] detonated on impact, scattering nearly 100 pounds (45 kg) of uranium. Its plutonium pit remained aboard the aircraft, which later landed safely. [3] References
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