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| W38 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nuclear warhead |
| Service history | |
| In service | May 1961 - May 1965 |
| Used by | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| Designed | 1956 to 1961 |
| No. built | 180 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) |
| Length | 82 inches (2,100 mm) (127 inches (3,200 mm) in RV) |
| Diameter | 32 inches (810 mm) |
Detonation mechanism | Contact, airburst |
| Blast yield | 3.75 megatonnes of TNT (15.7 PJ) |
| References | [1][2] |
TheW38 was an Americanthermonuclear warhead used in the early to mid-1960s as a warhead forAtlas E and F, andLGM-25 Titan IICBMs. It was first built in 1961 and was in service from 1961 to 1965. 70 were deployed on Titan I missiles and 110 on Atlas missiles. It used the Avco Mark 4 reentry vehicle.
The W38 was 32 inches (81 cm) in diameter and 82.5 inches (2 m) long. It weighed 3,080 pounds (1,400 kg) and had a design yield of 3.75megatons with an airburst or contactfuze.[3]
The W38 was the first thermonuclear ICBM warhead developed by the UCRL (University of California Radiation Laboratory), which is now known as theLawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The W38 was superseded by theTitan II missile family with aW53 warhead and 9megaton payload.
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