W50 (atomic weapon)

The W-50 or W50 thermonuclear warhead is a nuclear bomb used on the MGM-31 Pershing intermediate range nuclear missile.

There were two major variants produced (Mod 1, Mod 2), in three yield options (the Y1 with 60 kiloton yield, Y2 with 200 kiloton yield, and Y3 with 400 kiloton yield).

All variants were 15.4 inches in diameter and 44 inches long, weighing 410 pounds.

The W50 used the Tsetse primary design for its first fission stage, along with several mid and late 1950s designs.

The W50 is thought to have been the source of the W78 warhead's fusion second stage design.

The W50 was manufactured from 1963 through 1965, with a total of 280 being produced. They were retired from service starting in 1973 with the last units retired in 1991.

ee also

* MGM-31 Pershing
* Tsetse primary
* List of nuclear weapons

External links

* [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html Allbombs.html list of all US nuclear weapons] at [http://nuclearweaponarchive.org nuclearweaponarchive.org]
* [http://www.thebulletin.org/article.php?art_ofn=ma01hansen Beware the old story] by Chuck Hansen, "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists", March/April 2001 pp. 52-55 (vol. 57, no. 02)