Mark 27 nuclear bomb
Encyclopedia
The Mark 27 nuclear bomb and closely related W27 warhead were two American nuclear weapon designs from the late 1950s.
The Mark 27 was designed by the University of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL; now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
) starting in the mid 1950s. The Mark 27 and W27 were produced from 1958; both were retired by 1965.
The basic design concept was competing with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL; now Los Alamos National Laboratory
) design that would become the Mark 28 / B28 nuclear bomb
and W28 warhead. The Mark 27 was roughly twice as heavy and had a higher yield of 2 megatons
versus the 1 to 1.5 megatons of the Mark/W28 family.
The W27 warhead was 31 inches in diameter by 75 inches long, and weighed 2,800 pounds. 20 W27 warheads were produced for the United States Navy
SSM-N-8 Regulus
cruise missiles.
The Mark 27 bomb was 30 inches in diameter by 124 to 142 inches long, depending on specific version. The three versions weighed 3,150 to 3,300 pounds. 700 Mark 27 bombs were produced.
The Mark 27 was designed by the University of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL; now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , just outside Livermore, California, is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center founded by the University of California in 1952...
) starting in the mid 1950s. The Mark 27 and W27 were produced from 1958; both were retired by 1965.
The basic design concept was competing with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory (LASL; now Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
) design that would become the Mark 28 / B28 nuclear bomb
B28 nuclear bomb
The B28, originally Mark 28, was a thermonuclear bomb carried by U.S. tactical fighter bombers and bomber aircraft. From 1962 to 1972 under the NATO nuclear weapons sharing program, American B28s also equipped six Europe-based Canadian CF-104 squadrons known as the RCAF Nuclear Strike Force...
and W28 warhead. The Mark 27 was roughly twice as heavy and had a higher yield of 2 megatons
TNT equivalent
TNT equivalent is a method of quantifying the energy released in explosions. The ton of TNT is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 gigajoules, which is approximately the amount of energy released in the detonation of one ton of TNT...
versus the 1 to 1.5 megatons of the Mark/W28 family.
The W27 warhead was 31 inches in diameter by 75 inches long, and weighed 2,800 pounds. 20 W27 warheads were produced for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
SSM-N-8 Regulus
SSM-N-8 Regulus
The SSM-N-8A Regulus was a ship and submarine launched, nuclear armed cruise missile deployed by the United States Navy from 1955 to 1964.-Design and development:...
cruise missiles.
The Mark 27 bomb was 30 inches in diameter by 124 to 142 inches long, depending on specific version. The three versions weighed 3,150 to 3,300 pounds. 700 Mark 27 bombs were produced.
External links
- Allbombs.html list of all US nuclear warheads at nuclearweaponarchive.org