Thermonuclear · United States · 1962
B53
B53 (Mk-53)
For a long time the most powerful weapon in the American arsenal, at 9 Mt.
See B53 in the 3D simulator- Yield
- 9 MtDocumented
- Energy
- 37.7 PJ
- Mass
- 4 tDocumented
- Dimensions
- 3.76 m · Ø 1.27 mDocumented
- Type
- Strategic thermonuclear bomb
- Period
- Cold War
- Status
- Retired
B53 releases about 600 times the energy of Little Boy (Hiroshima, 1945).
Key points
- Designed for low-altitude delivery, with a parachute system of 360 to 410 kg.
History
Its warhead also armed the Titan II missile. It was kept in reserve until its final dismantlement in 2011.
- 1962 Enters service.
- 1997 Withdrawn from active service.
- 25 October 2011 The last unit is dismantled (Pantex Plant, Texas).
How does it work?
A thermonuclear weapon (“H-bomb”) first uses a fission explosion, which creates the extreme conditions needed to fuse light nuclei (hydrogen isotopes).
Fusion releases a lot of energy per unit of mass and is not limited by a critical mass: this is what makes the megaton range and beyond possible.
One megaton (Mt) is the energy of one million tons of TNT, about 4.2 × 10¹⁵ joules.
Deliberately general explanations: the application provides no design or manufacturing information.
Frequently asked questions
How powerful is B53?
B53 has an estimated yield of 9 Mt of TNT equivalent, about 37.7 PJ of energy.
What is the history of B53?
In service from 1962 to 1997; the last unit was dismantled on 25 October 2011. Its warhead also armed the Titan II missile. It was kept in reserve until its final dismantlement in 2011.
What does the B53 explosion look like?
The Bomb Simulator shows the fireball, shock wave and cloud of B53 at real scale, over Paris, London or New York, with the sources and reliability of each value.
Sources
- B53 nuclear bomb — Wikipedia (overview, to be cross-checked)
Other weapons
- Trinity — 25 kt
- Little Boy — 15 kt
- Fat Man — 21 kt
- RDS-1 — 22 kt
- Hurricane — 25 kt
- RDS-6s — 400 kt
- Gerboise Bleue — 70 kt
- 596 — 22 kt
- Davy Crockett — 20 t
- Ivy Mike — 10.4 Mt
- Castle Bravo — 15 Mt
- RDS-37 — 1.6 Mt
This application is an educational tool. The animations and effect zones are simplified representations meant to illustrate orders of magnitude. They are neither a prediction of the effects of a real weapon nor a military planning tool.