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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group

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To: LTK007 who wrote (2847)10/5/2001 10:09:30 PM
From: FaultLine   of 281500
 
Small Atomic Weapons
Here are a few things I found using Google and (smallest fission weapon) search pattern. Had a lot of hits -- all pretty interesting.

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bullatomsci.org
The smallest atomic weapon

The Davy Crockett fission bomb, fielded by the United States in Europe from 1961 to 1971, is the smallest confirmed nuclear weapon. Its miniature warhead weighed only 51 pounds, had a yield of 0.1 kilotons and a maximum range of 2.49 miles, and could be launched from a recoilless rifle or a jeep. It was deployed by U.S. Army forces in Europe for use against advancing Soviet troops.

In September 1997, reports emerged that the Soviet military intelligence agency (the GRU) had developed numerous "suitcase bombs." These reports alleged that the bombs measured 24 x 16 x 8 inches (60 x 40 x 20 centimeters), and were to be used by intelligence agents in Western cities in the event of a superpower war.

Though doubts have been raised as to the credibility of the reports, a bomb this small is theoretically possible. Carey Sublette of the Federation of American Scientists notes that the smallest critical mass for plutonium is a 10.5 kg sphere 10.1 cm across. While this minimal critical mass alone could not cause an explosion, as little as 10 percent more plutonium could produce a .01-.02 kiloton explosion (10-20 tons of TNT), while 20 percent more plutonium could produce a .2 kt (200 ton) explosion. Not only would the explosions themselves be deadly, but the resulting radiation, especially in heavily populated areas, would be catastrophic. To fit this type of device into a suitcase only eight inches wide would probably require that the device use a linear implosion technology that would "squish" the plutonium together to into a large critical mass, allowing it to explode.

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PHOTOS of the Davy Crockett device (pretty darn small!):
brook.edu

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Low-Yield Earth-Penetrating Nuclear Weapons
fas.org

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Atomic Mines for Blowing up Bridges and such
Devices weight from 150 to 500 pounds
brook.edu

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The Atomic Cannon
roadsideamerica.com
The atomic cannon was a huge piece of ordnance built by the United States in the mid-1950s to hurl nuclear shells far enough that they wouldn't kill the people who fired them.

The Only Test Firing of the Atomic Cannon
angelfire.com

Test firing of the Atomic Cannon(and many other photos too):
XX-12 GRABLE was fired on May 25, 1953 at the Nevada Test Site. A 280mm artillery gun fired the 15 kiloton nuclear shell. This was the only time a nuclear artillery shell was ever fired.
nv.doe.gov

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PBS Frontline Program
Do "backpack" nuclear weapons exist?
pbs.org

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