W56
Encyclopedia
The W56 is an American thermonuclear warhead produced starting in 1963 which saw service until 1993, on the Minuteman I and II
ICBMs.
The W56 was manufactured in a series of models, all the same rough size and 1.2 megaton
yield. The Mod-1, Mod-2, and Mod-3 variants weighed 600 pounds, with the Mod-4 variant weighing 680 pounds. All versions were 17.4 inches (442 mm) diameter by 47.3 inches (1,201.4 mm) long.
The early models (Mod-1, Mod-2, and Mod-3) were produced starting in 1963 and retired in September 1966. The Mod-4 model was in production through 1969 and saw service until 1993. 1,000 total were produced, of which 455 were Mod-4.
The early models had to be retrofitted to fix a reliability problem, likely leading to their early retirement.
All retired W56 warheads were stored, to be finally dismantled by the end of June, 2006. One warhead nearly experienced a high-explosive detonation with no nuclear yield in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061215-124703-2900r
LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
ICBMs.
The W56 was manufactured in a series of models, all the same rough size and 1.2 megaton
TNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
yield. The Mod-1, Mod-2, and Mod-3 variants weighed 600 pounds, with the Mod-4 variant weighing 680 pounds. All versions were 17.4 inches (442 mm) diameter by 47.3 inches (1,201.4 mm) long.
The early models (Mod-1, Mod-2, and Mod-3) were produced starting in 1963 and retired in September 1966. The Mod-4 model was in production through 1969 and saw service until 1993. 1,000 total were produced, of which 455 were Mod-4.
The early models had to be retrofitted to fix a reliability problem, likely leading to their early retirement.
All retired W56 warheads were stored, to be finally dismantled by the end of June, 2006. One warhead nearly experienced a high-explosive detonation with no nuclear yield in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061215-124703-2900r
See also
- LGM-30 MinutemanLGM-30 MinutemanThe LGM-30 Minuteman is a U.S. nuclear missile, a land-based intercontinental ballistic missile . As of 2010, the version LGM-30G Minuteman-III is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States...
- List of nuclear weapons
- United States and weapons of mass destructionUnited States and weapons of mass destructionThe United States is known to have possessed three types of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear weapons, chemical weapons and biological weapons. The U.S. is the only country to have used nuclear weapons in combat. The U.S. also used chemical weapons in World War I...
External links
- List of all US nuclear weapons at nuclearweaponarchive.org
- "Cold War Relic in Pieces, but Next Generation Looms" By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post, June 29, 2006
- "Mishap in dismantling nuclear warhead" UPI.