| B53 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Thermonuclear weapon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1962–1997 |
| Production history | |
| Designer | LANL[1] |
| Designed | 1958–1961[1] |
| Manufacturer | Atomic Energy Commission |
| Produced | 1961–1965[1][2] |
| No. built | About 340[2] |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 8,850 lb (4,010 kg)[1] |
| Length | 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)[1] |
| Diameter | 50 in (4.2 ft; 1.3 m)[1] |
| Filling | Fission: 100%oralloy Fusion:Lithium-6deuteride[1] |
| Blast yield | Y1: 9megatons Y2: Unknown |
The Mk/B53 was a high-yieldbunker busterthermonuclear weapon developed by theUnited States during theCold War. Deployed onStrategic Air Command bombers, the B53, with ayield of 9 megatons, was the most powerful weapon in theU.S. nuclear arsenal after the lastB41 nuclear bombs were retired in 1976.
The B53 was the basis of theW-53 warhead carried by theTitan II missile, which was decommissioned in 1987. Although not in active service for many years before 2010, fifty B53s were retained during that time as part of the "hedge" portion[i] of theEnduring Stockpile until its complete dismantling in 2011. The last B53 was disassembled on 25 October 2011, a year ahead of schedule.[3][4]
With its retirement, the largest bomb currently in service in the U.S. nuclear arsenal is theB83, with amaximum yield of 1.2 megatons.[5] The B53 was replaced in thebunker-busting role by theB61 Mod 11.
Development of the weapon began in 1955 byLos Alamos National Laboratory, based on the earlierMk 21 andMk 46 weapons. In March 1958 theStrategic Air Command issued a request for a newClass C (less than five tons, megaton-range) bomb to replace the earlierMk 41.[2] A revised version of theMk 46 became theTX-53 in 1959. The development TX-53 warhead was apparently never tested, although an experimental TX-46 predecessor design was detonated 28 June 1958 asHardtack Oak, which detonated at a yield of 8.9Megatons.
TheMk 53 entered production in 1962 and was built through June 1965.[2] About 340 bombs were built. It entered service aboardB-47 Stratojet,B-52G Stratofortress,[1] andB-58 Hustlerbomber aircraft in the mid-1960s. From 1968 it was redesignatedB53.
Some early versions of the bomb were dismantled beginning in 1967. After the Titan II program ended, the remaining W-53s were retired in the late 1980s. The B53 was retired in 1986, but in 1988 50 units were brought back into service and received theB53 Mod 1 safety upgrade so the air force could cover certain targets previously covered by Titan II.[6] These weapons remained in the active stockpile until the deployment of theB61-11 in 1997. At that point the obsolete B53s were slated for immediate disassembly; however, the process of disassembling the units was greatly hampered by safety concerns as well as a lack of resources.[7] In 2010 authorization was given to disassemble the 50 bombs at thePantex plant in Texas.[8] The process of dismantling the last remaining B53 bomb in the stockpile was completed in 2011.[9][10]
The B53 was 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m) long with a diameter of 50 inches (4.17 ft; 1.27 m). It weighed 8,850 pounds (4,010 kg), including the W53 warhead, the 800-to-900 lb (360-to-410 kg)parachute system and the honeycomb aluminumnose cone to enable the bomb to survivelaydown delivery. It had five parachutes:[1] one 5-foot (1.52 m)pilot chute, one 16-foot (4.88 m) extractor chute, and three 48-foot (14.63 m) main chutes. Chute deployment depends on delivery mode, with the main chutes used only for laydown delivery. For free-fall delivery, the entire system was jettisoned.
The W53 warhead of the B53 usedoralloy (highly enricheduranium) instead ofplutonium for fission,[11] with a mix oflithium-6deuteride fuel for fusion. Theexplosive lens comprised a mixture ofRDX andTNT, which was notinsensitive. Two variants were made: theB53-Y1, a "dirty" weapon using a U-238-encased secondary, and theB53-Y2 "clean" version with a non-fissile (lead ortungsten) secondary casing.[12] The explosive yield for the Y1 version was declassified in 2014 as being 9 Mt.[13]
In 1988, some B53s were upgraded to the B53 Mod 1 (B53-1) variant to improve weapon safety and to provide compatibility with the G/H variants of the B52 bomber. During this upgrade the weapon lost full-fuzing capability, retaining only the laydown fuzing mode.[14] The B53-1 had a selectable laydown time of 30 to 240 seconds in 30 second increments.[15]
It was intended as abunker buster weapon, using a surface blast after laydown deployment to transmit ashock wave through the earth to collapse its target. Attacks against the Soviet deep underground leadership shelters in theChekhov/Sharapovo area south ofMoscow envisaged multiple B53/W53 exploding at ground level. It has since been supplanted in such roles by the earth-penetratingB61 Mod 11, a bomb that penetrates the surface to deliver much more of its explosive energy into the ground, and therefore needs a much smalleryield to produce the same effects.
The B53 was intended to be retired in the 1980s, but 50 units remained in the active stockpile until the deployment of the B61-11 in 1997. At that point the obsolete B53s were slated for immediate disassembly; however, the process of disassembling the units was greatly hampered by safety concerns as well as a lack of resources.[7][8] The last remaining B53 bomb began the disassembly processes on Tuesday, 25 October 2011 at the Energy Department'sPantex Plant.[4]
An April 2014GAO report notes that theNational Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is retaining canned sub-assemblies (CSAs) "associated with a certain warhead indicated as excess in the 2012 Production and Planning Directive are being retained in an indeterminate state pending a senior-level government evaluation of their use inplanetary defense against earthbound asteroids."[16] In its FY2015 budget request, the NNSA noted that the B53 component disassembly was "delayed", leading some observers to conclude they might be the warhead CSAs being retained for potential planetary defense purposes.[17]
TheW-53 nuclear warhead of theTitan IIICBM used the samephysics package as the B53, without the air drop-specific components like the parachute system and crushable structures in the nose and sides needed for lay-down delivery, reducing its mass to about 6,200 lb (2,800 kg).[18] The 8,140-pound (3,690 kg) Mark-6 re-entry vehicle containing the W53 warhead was about 123 inches (10.3 ft; 3.1 m) long, 7.5 feet (2.3 m) in diameter and was mounted atop a spacer which was 8.3 feet (2.5 m) in diameter at the missile interface (compared to the missile's core diameter of 10 feet [3.0 m]). With a yield of 9megatons, it was the highest yield warhead ever deployed on a US missile. About 65 W53 warheads were constructed between December 1962 and December 1963.[18]
On 19 September 1980 a fuel leak caused a Titan II toexplode within itssilo inArkansas, throwing the W53 warhead some distance away. Due to the safety measures built into the weapon, it did not explode or release anyradioactive material.[19] Fifty-two active missiles were deployed in silos prior to the beginning of the retirement program in October 1982.[18]
Assuming a detonation at optimum height, a 9-megaton blast would result in a fireball with an approximate 2.9 to 3.4 mi (4.7 to 5.5 km) diameter.[20] The radiated heat would be sufficient to cause lethalburns to any unprotected person within a 20-mile (32 km) radius (1,250 sq mi or 3,200 km2). Blast effects would be sufficient to collapse most residential and industrial structures within a 9 mi (14 km) radius (254 sq mi or 660 km2); within 3.65 mi (5.87 km) (42 sq mi or 110 km2) virtually all above-ground structures would be destroyed and blast effects would inflict near 100% fatalities. Within 2.25 mi (3.62 km) a 500-rem (5-sievert) dose ofionizing radiation would be received by the average person, sufficient to cause a 50% to 90% casualty rate independent of thermal or blast effects at this distance.[21]
Currently, seven actual B53s are on display at the following facilities or museums.
that the total weapon yield of the B53/W53 Y1 was 9 Mt.
