Mark 21 nuclear bomb

The Mark 21 nuclear bomb was a United States nuclear gravity bomb first produced in 1955. It was based on the TX 21 "Shrimp" prototype that had been detonated during the Castle Bravo test in March 1954. While most of the Operation Castle tests were intended to evaluate weapons intended for immediate stockpile, or which were already available for use as part of the Emergency Capability Program, Castle Bravo was intended to test a design which would drastically reduce the size and costs of the first generation of air-droppable atomic weapons (the Mk 14, Mk 17 & Mk 24).

Mark 21
TypeNuclear bomb
Service history
Used byUnited States
Production history
ProducedDecember 1955 to July 1956
No. built275 weapons produced in Y1 variant.
Variants2
Specifications
Mass17,600 pounds (8,000 kg)
Length12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m)
Diameter58 inches (150 cm)
Blast yield15 to 18 megatons.

Design
See also: Nuclear weapon design

At 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m) long, 58.5 inches (1.49 m) in diameter, and weighing 17,600 pounds (8,000 kg), the Mk 21 was half the length and less than half the weight of the Mk 17/24 weapons it replaced. The Mk 21 Y1 had a yield of 15 to 18 megatons. The Mk 21 Y2 (later designated TX 26) was specified at about four megatons. All 275 Mk 21 weapons stockpiled were the Y1 version. [1][2]

Quantity production of the Mk 21 started in December 1955 and ran until July 1956. Starting in June 1957 all Mk 21 bombs were converted to the more powerful Mk 36, which was removed from service in 1962.[3]

Delivery system

The Mark 21 could solely be delivered by bomber; it was carried by the B-36 and B-47.

Tests

The Mk 21 (Mk 21 Y1, the version in the stockpile) was never tested. The Mk 21C (Mk 21 Y2) was proof tested as the Operation Redwing Navajo shot, with a yield of 4.5 megatons.

Specifications

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See also

References
  • Hansen, Chuck. U.S. Nuclear Weapons," Arlington, Texas, Areofax, Inc., 1988. ISBN 0-517-56740-7.
  • O'Keefe, Bernard J. "Nuclear Hostages," Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983, ISBN 0-395-34072-1.
  1. Goetz, Peter. "A Technical History of America's Nuclear Arms Volume 1," 2020 ISBN 9781719831963
  2. https://www.scribd.com/document/59537319/Strategic-Air-Command-History-Development-of-Atomic-Weapons-1956 page 29
  3. Nuclear Weapon Archive: List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons
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