W73
Encyclopedia
The W73 was an American nuclear warhead for the AGM-53 Condor
air to surface missile.
The W73 was cancelled in 1970 in favor of a purely conventional warhead for the Condor. None were produced.
The Condor was approved for production in 1975 but then cancelled in early 1976.
Specifications for the W73 are poorly publicly documented. The Condor missile was 17 inches in diameter and had a 268 kilogram conventional warhead alternative to the W73 nuclear warhead.
The W73 was reportedly a design derivative or variant of the B61 nuclear bomb
.
AGM-53 Condor
In 1962, the U.S. Navy issued a requirement for a long-range high-precision air-to-surface missile. The missile, named the AGM-53A Condor, was to use a television guidance system with a data link to the launching aircraft similar to the system of the then projected AGM-62 Walleye.-Development...
air to surface missile.
The W73 was cancelled in 1970 in favor of a purely conventional warhead for the Condor. None were produced.
The Condor was approved for production in 1975 but then cancelled in early 1976.
Specifications for the W73 are poorly publicly documented. The Condor missile was 17 inches in diameter and had a 268 kilogram conventional warhead alternative to the W73 nuclear warhead.
The W73 was reportedly a design derivative or variant of the B61 nuclear bomb
B61 nuclear bomb
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
.
External links
- AGM-53 Condor at globalsecurity.org
- Allbombs.html list of all US nuclear warheads at nuclearweaponarchive.org