Thermonuclear · United States · 1983
B83
B83
The most powerful weapon in the American arsenal since the B53 was dismantled (2011): 1.2 Mt for about 1 ton.
See B83 in the 3D simulator- Yield
- 1.2 MtDocumented
- Energy
- 5.02 PJ
- Mass
- 1.1 tDocumented
- Dimensions
- 3.7 m · Ø 0.46 mDocumented
- Type
- Variable-yield thermonuclear bomb
- Period
- End of the Cold War – today
- Status
- Current
B83 releases about 80 times the energy of Little Boy (Hiroshima, 1945).
Key points
- About 20 times less powerful than the B41 of the 1960s, but 4 times lighter.
- Yield adjustable before flight: this is the case for most modern weapons.
History
Designed to be dropped at high speed and low altitude. Its yield is about 80 times that of the Hiroshima bomb.
- 1983 Enters service.
- 2011 Becomes the most powerful weapon in the American arsenal.
- 2022 Retirement announced (Nuclear Posture Review).
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 B83?
B83 has an estimated yield of 1.2 Mt of TNT equivalent, about 5.02 PJ of energy.
What is the history of B83?
In service since 1983. Its retirement was announced by the US administration in 2022. Designed to be dropped at high speed and low altitude. Its yield is about 80 times that of the Hiroshima bomb.
What does the B83 explosion look like?
The Bomb Simulator shows the fireball, shock wave and cloud of B83 at real scale, over Paris, London or New York, with the sources and reliability of each value.
Sources
- B83 nuclear bomb — Wikipedia (overview, to be cross-checked)
- Status of World Nuclear Forces — Federation of American Scientists
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.