W55
Encyclopedia
The W55 was an American thermonuclear warhead used as the warhead for the SUBROC antisubmarine rocket
system. The W55 was designed in the early-1960s, and produced from 1964 to 1968. The last units were retired from service in 1990. A total of 285 W55 weapons were produced.
The W55 had a yield which has been variously described as 1, 5, and 250 kilotons. Some sources suggest that the W55 evolved from the experimental bomb tested in the Hardtack I Olive nuclear test on July 22, 1958, which had a yield estimated at 202 kilotons.
The W55 is 35 cm (13.5 inches) in diameter, 1 metre (39.4 inches) long, and weighs 213 kg (470 pounds).
Researcher Chuck Hansen claims based on his US nuclear program research that the W55 and W58
warheads shared a common Primary or fission first stage, and that this design was nicknamed the Kinglet primary
by Hansen in 2001
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
system. The W55 was designed in the early-1960s, and produced from 1964 to 1968. The last units were retired from service in 1990. A total of 285 W55 weapons were produced.
The W55 had a yield which has been variously described as 1, 5, and 250 kilotons. Some sources suggest that the W55 evolved from the experimental bomb tested in the Hardtack I Olive nuclear test on July 22, 1958, which had a yield estimated at 202 kilotons.
The W55 is 35 cm (13.5 inches) in diameter, 1 metre (39.4 inches) long, and weighs 213 kg (470 pounds).
Researcher Chuck Hansen claims based on his US nuclear program research that the W55 and W58
W58
The W58 was an American thermonuclear warhead used on the Polaris A-3 submarine launched ballistic missile. Three W58 warheads were fitted as multiple warheads on each Polaris A-3 missile....
warheads shared a common Primary or fission first stage, and that this design was nicknamed the Kinglet primary
Kinglet primary
Kinglet was a boosted fission primary used in two designs of American thermonuclear weapons, the W55 and the W58; and was also adapted by the British as a super-hardened primary known as Harriet used in the Chevaline improvements to the British Polaris A-3TK missile.Primary is the technical term...
by Hansen in 2001