This article needs additional citations for
verification. (January 2021) |
W38 | |
---|---|
Type | Nuclear warhead |
Service history | |
In service | May 1961 - May 1965 |
Used by | United States |
Production history | |
Designer | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
Designed | 1956 to 1961 |
No. built | 180 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) |
Length | 82 inches (2,100 mm) (127 inches (3,200 mm) in RV) |
Diameter | 32 inches (810 mm) |
Detonation mechanism | Contact, airburst |
Blast yield | 4,500 kilotonnes of TNT (19,000 TJ) |
References | [1] [2] |
The W38 was an American thermonuclear warhead used in the early to mid-1960s as a warhead for Atlas E and F, and LGM-25 Titan I ICBMs. It was first built in 1961 and was in service from 1961 to 1965. 70 were deployed on Titan I missiles and 110 on Atlas missiles. It used the Avco Mark 4 reentry vehicle.
The W38 was 32 inches (81 cm) in diameter and 82.5 inches (2 m) long. It weighed 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) and had a design yield of 3.75 megatons with an airburst or contact fuze. [3]
The W38 was the first thermonuclear ICBM warhead developed by the UCRL ( University of California Radiation Laboratory), which is now known as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The W38 was superseded by the Titan II missile family with a W53 warhead and 9 megaton payload.
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (January 2021) |
W38 | |
---|---|
Type | Nuclear warhead |
Service history | |
In service | May 1961 - May 1965 |
Used by | United States |
Production history | |
Designer | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
Designed | 1956 to 1961 |
No. built | 180 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) |
Length | 82 inches (2,100 mm) (127 inches (3,200 mm) in RV) |
Diameter | 32 inches (810 mm) |
Detonation mechanism | Contact, airburst |
Blast yield | 4,500 kilotonnes of TNT (19,000 TJ) |
References | [1] [2] |
The W38 was an American thermonuclear warhead used in the early to mid-1960s as a warhead for Atlas E and F, and LGM-25 Titan I ICBMs. It was first built in 1961 and was in service from 1961 to 1965. 70 were deployed on Titan I missiles and 110 on Atlas missiles. It used the Avco Mark 4 reentry vehicle.
The W38 was 32 inches (81 cm) in diameter and 82.5 inches (2 m) long. It weighed 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) and had a design yield of 3.75 megatons with an airburst or contact fuze. [3]
The W38 was the first thermonuclear ICBM warhead developed by the UCRL ( University of California Radiation Laboratory), which is now known as the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The W38 was superseded by the Titan II missile family with a W53 warhead and 9 megaton payload.