Mark 7 nuclear bomb

Mark 7 nuclear bomb
Mark 7 nuclear bomb at USAF Museum

Mark 7 "Thor" (or Mk-7'[1]) was the first tactical nuclear bomb adopted by US armed forces. It was also the first weapon to be delivered using the toss method with the help of the low-altitude bombing system (LABS). The weapon was tested in Operation Buster-Jangle. To facilitate external carry by fighter bomber aircraft, Mark 7 was fitted with retractable stabilizer fins. Mark 7 was a dial-a-yield capsule-type weapon with fissionable elements (uranium 235) stored in a separate container. The Mark 7 warhead (W7) also formed the basis of the 30.5 inch (77.5 cm) BOAR rocket, the Mark 90 Betty nuclear depth charge, and MGR-1 Honest John rocket and MGM-5 Corporal ballistic missile. It was also supplied for delivery by Royal Air Force Canberra aircraft assigned to NATO in Germany under the command of SACEUR. This was done under the auspices of Project E - an agreement between the USA and the UK on the RAF carriage of US nuclear weapons. The Mark 7 was in service from 1952 to 1968 with 1700-1800 having been built.

Contents

Survivors

A Mark 7 casing is on display in the Cold War hangar at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

Specifications

  • Length: 15.2 ft (4.6 m)
  • Diameter: 2.5 ft (0.8 m)
  • Weight: 1680 lb (764 kg)
  • Fuzing: airburst or contact
  • Yield: variable yield between 8 and 61 kilotons

Users

A Douglas A4D-2 carrying a Mk 7 bomb on the USS Saratoga in the early 1960s.

References

  1. ^ USAF Museum: Mk 7 nuclear bomb

See also

External links

v · d · eLists relating to aviation
General
Aircraft (manufacturers) · Aircraft engines (manufacturers) · Airlines (defunct) · Airports · Civil authorities · Museums · Registration prefixes · Rotorcraft (manufacturers) · Timeline
Military
Accidents/incidents
Records

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mark 15 nuclear bomb — Mark 15 bomb The Mark 15 nuclear bomb, or Mk 15, was a 1950s American thermonuclear bomb, the first relatively lightweight (7,600 lb / 3450 kg) thermonuclear bomb created by the United States. The Mark 15 was first produced in 1955, in a… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 12 nuclear bomb — The Mark 12 nuclear bomb was a US designed and manufactured lightweight nuclear bomb which was built starting in 1954 and saw service from then until 1962. For unknown reasons, the design was nicknamed Brok . The Mark 12 was notable for being a… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 14 nuclear bomb — Mark 14 nuclear bomb. The Castle Union test of the Mark 14 de …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 13 nuclear bomb — The Mark 13 nuclear bomb and its variant, the W 13 nuclear warhead, were experimental nuclear weapons developed by the United States from 1951 to 1954. The Mark 13 design was based on the earlier Mark 6 nuclear bomb design, which was in turn… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 18 nuclear bomb — The Mark 18 nuclear bomb, also known as the SOB or Super Oralloy Bomb, was an American nuclear bomb design which was the highest yield fission bomb produced by the US. The Mark 18 had a design yield of 500 kilotons. Noted nuclear weapon designer… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 8 nuclear bomb — A Mark 8 nuclear bomb. Closeup of the nose of a Mark 8 …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 6 nuclear bomb — A Mark 6 nuclear bomb. The Mark 6 nuclear bomb was an American nuclear bomb based on the earlier Mark 4 nuclear bomb and its predecessor, the Mark 3 Fat Man nuclear bomb design. The Mark 6 was produced from 1951 1955 and saw service until 1962.… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 4 nuclear bomb — A Mark 4 bomb casing. The Mark 4 nuclear bomb was an American nuclear bomb design produced starting in 1949 and in use until 1953. The Mark 4 was based on the earlier Mark 3 Fat Man design, used in the Trinity test and the bombing of Nagasaki.… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 11 nuclear bomb — The Mark 11 nuclear bomb was an American nuclear bomb developed from the earlier Mark 8 nuclear bomb in the mid 1950s. Like the Mark 8, the Mark 11 was an earth penetrating weapon, also known as a Nuclear bunker buster bomb. The Mk 11 nuclear… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 36 nuclear bomb — The Mark 36 nuclear bomb The Mark 36 was a heavy high yield United States nuclear bomb designed in the 1950s. It was a thermonuclear bomb, using a multi stage fusion secondary system to generate yields up to about 10 megatons. [1] …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”