Mark 36 nuclear bomb
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The Mk 36 was a heavy high-yield
History
The Mark 36 was a more advanced version of the earlier
The Mark 21 bomb was developed and deployed immediately after Castle Bravo, in 1955. The Mark 21 design continued to be improved and the Mark 36 device started production in April 1956.[2] In 1957, all older Mark 21 bombs were converted to Mark 36 Y1 Mod 1 bombs. A total of 920 Mark 36 bombs were produced as new build or converted from the 275 Mark 21 bombs produced earlier.
All Mark 36 nuclear bombs were retired between August 1961 and January 1962, replaced by the higher yield B41 nuclear bomb.
Survivors
A Mark 36 casing is on display in the Cold War Gallery at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
A Mark 36 casing can be found at the
A MK 36 can be found in the "Wings Over the Rockies" air museum in the Lowry neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.
Specifications
The Mark 36 bomb was 56.2 to 59 inches (143 to 150 cm) in diameter, depending on version, and 150 inches (3.8 m) long. It weighed 17,500 or 17,700 pounds (7,900 or 8,000 kg) depending on version.
There were two major variants, conventional ("dirty") weapon designated the Y1 and a low fission fraction "clean" Y2 version.
See also
- List of nuclear weapons
- Teller-Ulam design
- Mark 21 nuclear bomb
References
- ^ "Nuclear Weapon Archive". Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ "List of all US Nuclear Weapons". Retrieved 2008-05-02.
- ^ Quarterly Progress Report to the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, Part III-Weapons, April-June 1958 (Deleted) (Report). Atomic Energy Commission. 30 June 1958. p. 3. NV0073758.
- Hansen, Chuck, "Swords of Armageddon: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Development since 1945" (CD-ROM & download available). PDF-2.67 Mb. 2,600 pages, Sunnyvale, California, Chucklea Publications, 1995, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9791915-0-3(2nd Ed.)