Starling (nuclear primary)
The Starling was a small American
thermonuclear weapons
.
The Starling was developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. According to researcher Chuck Hansen, it was 11.53 inches (293 mm) in diameter, 14.25 inches (362 mm) in length, and had a weight of 86.4 pounds (39.2 kg).[1] As tested in Nougat Cimarron, the primary had a yield of 5 to 8 kilotonnes of TNT (21 to 33 TJ)[2] but is also described as being 10 to 20 kilotonnes of TNT (42 to 84 TJ).[1] It was a two-point primary, like Tsetse, Kinglet, Robin, and Gnat.[1]
Starling is reportedly the primary for the
W55 (which also used Kinglet) and W56 warheads.[3] Starling and Kinglet are reportedly the immediate successors to Robin.[4]
See also
- List of nuclear weapons
- Teller-Ulam design
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9791915-1-0.
- ISBN 978-0-9791915-7-2.
- ISBN 978-0-9791915-5-8.
- ISBN 978-0-9791915-6-5.
