Operation Hardtack II
Encyclopedia
Operation Hardtack II was a series of 37 nuclear tests conducted by the United States
in 1958 at the Nevada Test Site
.
With test moratoriums on the horizon, American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. After the conclusion of Hardtack II, the United States announced a unilateral testing moratorium, which the Soviet Union joined until September, 1961. In September 1961, the Soviet Union resumed nuclear testing, and the United States followed suit with Operation Nougat
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1958 at the Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
.
With test moratoriums on the horizon, American weapons labs rushed out many new designs. After the conclusion of Hardtack II, the United States announced a unilateral testing moratorium, which the Soviet Union joined until September, 1961. In September 1961, the Soviet Union resumed nuclear testing, and the United States followed suit with Operation Nougat
Operation Nougat
Operation Nougat was a series of 45 nuclear tests conducted at the Nevada Test Site in 1961 and 1962, immediately after the Soviet Union abrogated a testing moratorium, with the US' "Mink" test shot taking place the day before the Soviets test-detonated the Tsar Bomba. Most tests were...
.
Test Blasts
| Test Name | Date | Location | Yield | Note | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otero | 12 September, 1958 | NTS Area 3q | 0.038 kilotons | 1PT, failed | |
| Bernalillo | 17 September, 1958 | NTS Area 3h | 0.015 kilotons | 1PT; unsafe | |
| Eddy | 19 September, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 0.083 kilotons | balloon shot | |
| Luna | 21 September, 1958 | NTS Area 3m | 0.0015 kilotons | 1PT; unsafe | |
| Mercury | 23 September, 1958 | NTS Area 12f Area 12 Area 12 is a division of the Nevada National Security Site. It occupies approximately along the northern edge of the NNSS. At , the top of Rainier Mesa is the highest elevation within the NNNS.... |
"slight" | 1PT | |
| Valencia | 26 September, 1958 | NTS Area 3r | 0.002 kilotons | 1PT | |
| Mars | 28 September, 1958 | NTS Area 12f | 0.013 kilotons | 1PT | |
| Mora | 29 September, 1958 | NTS Area 7b Area 7 Area 7 may refer to:* Area 7 one of the areas inside the Nevada Test Site* Area 7 , thriller by Matthew Reilly* Area-7, Australian band... |
2 kilotons | balloon shot; fizzled | |
| Hidalgo | 5 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 0.077 kilotons | balloon test; failed | |
| Colfax | 5 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3k | 0.0055 kilotons | 1PT; failed | |
| Tamalpais | 8 October, 1958 | NTS Area 12b | 0.072 kilotons | ||
| Quay | 10 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7c | 0.079 kilotons | tower shot | |
| Lea | 13 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 1.4 kilotons | balloon shot; fizzled Fizzle (nuclear test) In nuclear weapons, a fizzle occurs when the testing of a nuclear bomb fails to meet its expected yield. The reason for the failure can be linked to improper bomb design, poor construction, or lack of expertise. All countries that have had a nuclear weapons testing program have experienced fizzles... |
|
| Neptune | 14 October, 1958 | NTS Area 12c | 0.115 kilotons | 1pt; failed | |
| Hamilton | 15 October, 1958 | NTS Area 5 | 0.0012 | tower shot; fizzled | |
| Logan | 16 October, 1958 | NTS Area 12e | 5 kilotons | ||
| Dona Ana | 16 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 0.037 kilotons | ||
| Vesta | 17 October, 1958 | NTS Area 9e | 0.024 kilotons | 1pt; surface shot; failed | |
| Rio Arriba | 18 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3s | 0.090 kilotons | tower shot | |
| San Juan | 20 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3p | "zero" | 1pt | |
| Socorro | 22 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3b | 6 kilotons | balloon shot | |
| Wrangell | 22 October, 1958 | NTS Area 5 | 0.115 kilotons | balloon shot; fizzle | |
| Oberon | 22 October, 1958 | NTS Area 8a | "zero" | 1pt | |
| Rushmore | 22 October, 1958 | NTS Area 9a | 0.188 kilotons | balloon test; fizzle | |
| Catron | 24 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3T | 0.021 kilotons | 1pt; failed | |
| Juno | 24 October, 1958 | NTS Area 9f | 0.0017 kilotons | 1pt, surface shot | |
| Ceres | 26 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3b | 0.0007 kilotons | 1pt; tower shot | |
| Sanford | 26 October, 1958 | NTS Area 5 | 4.9 kilotons | balloon shot | |
| De Baca | 26 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 2.2 kilotons | balloon shot | |
| Chavez | 27 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3u | 0.0006 kilotons | 1pt; tower shot; failed | |
| Evans | 29 October, 1958 | NTS Area 12b | 0.055 kilotons | fizzle | |
| Mazama | 29 October, 1958 | NTS Area 9 | "zero" | fizzle | |
| Humbodt | 29 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3v | 0.0078 kilotons | tower shot | |
| Santa Fe | 30 October, 1958 | NTS Area 7b | 1.3 kilotons | balloon shot | |
| Ganymede | 30 October, 1958 | NTS Area 9g | "zero" | 1pt; surface shot | |
| Blanca | 30 October, 1958 | NTS Area 12e | 22 kilotons | largest test on Hardtack II | |
| Titania | 30 October, 1958 | NTS Area 3c | 0.0002 kilotons | 1pt; tower shot |
External links
- Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part I: Basic Effects Structures and Materiel (1958), Department of Defense documentary film, Lookout Mountain Laboratory USAF.
- Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part II: Underwater Tests (1958), Department of Defense documentary film, Lookout Mountain Laboratory USAF.
- Operation HARDTACK Military Effects Studies Part III: High Altitude Tests (1958), Department of Defense documentary film, Lookout Mountain Laboratory USAF.