Thermonuclear · United States · 1956
Mk 36
Mark 36
A 10 Mt bomb half as heavy as the Mk 17, a sign of the rapid miniaturization of the 1950s.
See Mk 36 in the 3D simulator- Yield
- 10 MtPublic estimate
- Energy
- 41.8 PJ
- Mass
- 7.9 tDocumented
- Dimensions
- 3.8 m · Ø 1.45 mDocumented
- Type
- Strategic thermonuclear bomb
- Period
- Cold War
- Status
- Retired
Mk 36 releases about 670 times the energy of Little Boy (Hiroshima, 1945).
Key points
- Mass of about 8 t for ~10 Mt, versus 19 t for the Mk 17.
History
Replaced from 1961 by the B41, more powerful and even lighter.
- 1956 Enters service.
- 1962 Gradually withdrawn in favor of the B41.
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 Mk 36?
Mk 36 has an estimated yield of 10 Mt of TNT equivalent, about 41.8 PJ of energy.
What is the history of Mk 36?
In service from 1956 to 1962. Replaced from 1961 by the B41, more powerful and even lighter.
What does the Mk 36 explosion look like?
The Bomb Simulator shows the fireball, shock wave and cloud of Mk 36 at real scale, over Paris, London or New York, with the sources and reliability of each value.
Sources
- Mark 36 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.