W81
Encyclopedia
RIM-67 Standard
The RIM-67 Standard ER is an extended range surface-to-air missile and anti ship missile originally developed for the United States Navy...
surface to air missile used by the US Navy. The W81 was a design derivative 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....
as many other modern US warhead designs are. The weapon was being designed at Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
(at the time called Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory).
The W81 went through several design iterations, starting with an enhanced radiation
Neutron bomb
A neutron bomb or enhanced radiation weapon or weapon of reinforced radiation is a type of thermonuclear weapon designed specifically to release a large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation rather than explosive energy...
model, then a pure fission model, and finally was simply canceled in 1986 without ever being tested or produced.
Characteristics are not known in detail, but the B61
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....
it is derived from has a physics package (bomb core) of about 12 inch diameter with length of 32 inches, weighing around 300 pounds (see the W80, another B61
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....
derived design). Available LASL images show a much shorter weapon, perhaps 12 by 16 to 18 inches, probably the final fission-only W81 concept, corresponding with the size of the B61
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....
fission primary alone.
The LASL image clearly shows the warhead taking up most but not all of the 13.5 inch SM-2 body diameter.
See also
- List of nuclear weapons
- Standard missileStandard missileStandard Missile can refer to a family of several different American missiles:* RIM-66 Standard , a medium range surface-to-air missile, the successor of the RIM-24 Tartar missile...
- B61 nuclear bombB61 nuclear bombThe 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....
- B61 FamilyB61 FamilyThe B61 Family is a series of thermonuclear bombs and thermonuclear warheads based on the B61 nuclear bomb.-Initial development:The B61 bomb was developed by Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory starting in 1960...
