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W50 (nuclear warhead)
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W50 (nuclear warhead)
The W50 (also known as the Mark 50) was an American thermonuclear warhead deployed on the MGM-31 Pershing theater ballistic missile. Initially developed for the LIM-49 Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile, this application was cancelled before deployment. The W50 was developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. 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.
There were two major variants produced: the Mod 0 for Nike Zeus and the Mod 1 for Pershing. Three yield options were available: the Y1 with 60 kilotonnes of TNT (250 TJ), Y2 with 200 kilotonnes of TNT (840 TJ), and Y3 with 400 kilotonnes of TNT (1,700 TJ). All variants were 15.4 inches (0.39 m) in diameter at the attachment flange and 44 inches (1.1 m) long, weighing 410 pounds (190 kg).
The W50 warhead traces its origins to a 1955 proposal that became the Nike Zeus missile. Bell Telephone Laboratories were tasked with evaluating future air defense problems in the 1960 to 1970 time frame, which led to the Nike Zeus proposal. This study showed that a nuclear warhead was mandatory to defeat threats such as Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) moving at 24,000 feet per second (7,300 m/s), and that even with a 50-kilotonne-of-TNT (210 TJ) warhead, the maximum possible kill distance to a target was still quite low.
The assistant secretary of defense was anxious to establish an early anti-ballistic missile capability and requested that the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC - now the Department of Energy) work with the army on a feasibility study of suitable nuclear warheads for Nike Zeus. This group first met in June 1957. The missile was expected to be able to carry a warhead of about 300 pounds (140 kg) weight.
Due to the complexity of the task, the study group split the work into two phases. In the first phase, mechanisms which would kill enemy warheads were examined, as would the lethal radii for those mechanisms for various yields. It was believed that these values could not be adequately defined for another two years as tests of target vulnerability and the practical limits of warhead hardening needed to be performed. This included the requirement to perform many flight tests to establish reentry vehicle (RV) vulnerability. The earliest operational availability date was expected to be 1962.
In the second phase, a warhead designed to meet the requirements determined in phase one would be developed. It was believed that specific warhead requirements should not be tied down as advantage should be taken of design improvements made over the following two years. The proposal to delay detailed warhead design until 1959 was accepted in late June 1957.
Concurrently, interest in the proposed Pershing missile had increased and in January 1958, a meeting was held to discuss a nuclear warhead for the system. Operational availability was planned for July 1962 with flight tests starting in August 1960. Both Los Alamos and Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) stated that warheads in the weight and yield requirements were possible on the given timescales. A feasibility study of the Pershing warhead was released in February 1958.
The division of military application (DMA) expressed concern in February 1958 about the number of weapons programs that Livermore were working on with planned operational availabilities in the 1960 to 1962 time frame. They were concerned about Livermore's workload, specifically with planned acceleration and increased prioritization of the W47 warhead for Polaris, and therefore believed that the Nike Zeus warhead should be assigned to Los Alamos. Formal authorization to develop a warhead for Nike Zeus was received on 3 March 1958.
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W50 (nuclear warhead)
The W50 (also known as the Mark 50) was an American thermonuclear warhead deployed on the MGM-31 Pershing theater ballistic missile. Initially developed for the LIM-49 Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile, this application was cancelled before deployment. The W50 was developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. 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.
There were two major variants produced: the Mod 0 for Nike Zeus and the Mod 1 for Pershing. Three yield options were available: the Y1 with 60 kilotonnes of TNT (250 TJ), Y2 with 200 kilotonnes of TNT (840 TJ), and Y3 with 400 kilotonnes of TNT (1,700 TJ). All variants were 15.4 inches (0.39 m) in diameter at the attachment flange and 44 inches (1.1 m) long, weighing 410 pounds (190 kg).
The W50 warhead traces its origins to a 1955 proposal that became the Nike Zeus missile. Bell Telephone Laboratories were tasked with evaluating future air defense problems in the 1960 to 1970 time frame, which led to the Nike Zeus proposal. This study showed that a nuclear warhead was mandatory to defeat threats such as Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) moving at 24,000 feet per second (7,300 m/s), and that even with a 50-kilotonne-of-TNT (210 TJ) warhead, the maximum possible kill distance to a target was still quite low.
The assistant secretary of defense was anxious to establish an early anti-ballistic missile capability and requested that the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC - now the Department of Energy) work with the army on a feasibility study of suitable nuclear warheads for Nike Zeus. This group first met in June 1957. The missile was expected to be able to carry a warhead of about 300 pounds (140 kg) weight.
Due to the complexity of the task, the study group split the work into two phases. In the first phase, mechanisms which would kill enemy warheads were examined, as would the lethal radii for those mechanisms for various yields. It was believed that these values could not be adequately defined for another two years as tests of target vulnerability and the practical limits of warhead hardening needed to be performed. This included the requirement to perform many flight tests to establish reentry vehicle (RV) vulnerability. The earliest operational availability date was expected to be 1962.
In the second phase, a warhead designed to meet the requirements determined in phase one would be developed. It was believed that specific warhead requirements should not be tied down as advantage should be taken of design improvements made over the following two years. The proposal to delay detailed warhead design until 1959 was accepted in late June 1957.
Concurrently, interest in the proposed Pershing missile had increased and in January 1958, a meeting was held to discuss a nuclear warhead for the system. Operational availability was planned for July 1962 with flight tests starting in August 1960. Both Los Alamos and Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) stated that warheads in the weight and yield requirements were possible on the given timescales. A feasibility study of the Pershing warhead was released in February 1958.
The division of military application (DMA) expressed concern in February 1958 about the number of weapons programs that Livermore were working on with planned operational availabilities in the 1960 to 1962 time frame. They were concerned about Livermore's workload, specifically with planned acceleration and increased prioritization of the W47 warhead for Polaris, and therefore believed that the Nike Zeus warhead should be assigned to Los Alamos. Formal authorization to develop a warhead for Nike Zeus was received on 3 March 1958.
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