Mark 12 nuclear bomb

Mark 12 nuclear bomb
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 large leap ahead in light weight and physical size compared to prior implosion-type nuclear weapons - The overall diameter was only 22 inches, compared to the immediately prior Mark-7 at 30 inch diameter. The comparative volume of the implosion assembly is only 40% as large as the Mark-7's.

There was a planned W-12 variant which would have been a nuclear warhead for the RIM-8 Talos missile. The W-12 was cancelled prior to introduction into service.

Contents

Specifications

An FJ-4B carrying a Mk 12 bomb (shape) over China Lake.

The complete Mark-12 bomb was 22 inches in diameter, 155 inches long, and weighed 1,100 to 1,200 pounds. It had a yield of 12 to 14 kilotons.

Features

The Mark-12 has been speculated to have been the first deployed nuclear weapon to have used beryllium as a reflector-tamper inside the implosion assembly (see nuclear weapon design). It is believed to use a spherical implosion assembly, levitated pit, and 92-point detonation.

Appearance in fiction

Though the weapon went out of service more than 40 years ago, it resurfaced in a fictional role in Tom Clancy's 1991 book The Sum of All Fears, where the book plot included an Israeli copy of the Mark-12 being lost by accident in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War in southern Syria, near the Golan Heights, and then recovered by a terrorist organization.

See also

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

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 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 …   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”