W91
TheW91was an Americanthermonuclear warheadintended for use on theSRAM-Tvariant of theAGM-131 SRAM IIair to ground missile.
What was to become the W91 design entered into aPhase 2design competition between the various nuclear weapons laboratories in November 1988. Further development details are somewhat unclear, but aLos Alamos National Laboratorydesign won the competition.
The design that emerged had a weight of 310 pounds (140 kg), with a two selectable yields of 10 or 100 kilotonnes of TNT (42 or 418 TJ).[1]Other physical characteristics have not been well described in public documents. The design has been described as being named the "New Mexico 1" code name, and as usingTATBbased insensitiveplastic bonded explosiveand a fire-resistant nuclear fissile material core orpit.[2]
The design was cancelled in September 1991 along with the SRAM T missile, prior to production of any units, though some test devices may have been manufactured.
Notably, the W91 was the last new US nuclear weapon design to reach the point of receiving a model number designation (enteringPhase 3development status).
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Sublette, Carey."Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons".The Nuclear Weapon Archive.Retrieved15 November2015.
- ^Hansen, Chuck.The Swords Of Armageddon(2° ed.). Sunnyvale, California: Chuckelea Publications. pp. 128–129.ISBN9780979191565.
External links
[edit]- University of California 1989 nuclear weapons labs status report
- Allbombs.htmlat the Nuclear Weapon Archive atnuclearweaponarchive.org