W84
Encyclopedia
B61 nuclear bomb
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
design and a close relative of the W80 warhead used on the AGM-86 ALCM, AGM-129 ACM, and BGM-109 Tomahawk
BGM-109 Tomahawk
The Tomahawk is a long-range, all-weather, subsonic cruise missile. Introduced by General Dynamics in the 1970s, it was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude missile that could be launched from a surface platform. It has been improved several times and, by way of corporate divestitures...
SLCM cruise missiles.
The W84 is a two stage radiation implosion warhead with a variable yield
Variable yield
Variable yield — or dial-a-yield — is an option available on most modern nuclear weapons. It allows the operator to specify a weapon's yield, or explosive power, allowing a single design to be used in different situations...
ranging from 0.2 kiloton up to 150 kilotons.
The W84 was designed at 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 1978, based on the B61 nuclear bomb
B61 nuclear bomb
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
weapon design originated at 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...
. Manufacture of this warhead commenced in 1983. Sources differ regarding the total number of units produced, though the figure is known to be either 350 or 530.
The W84 is 13 inches in diameter and 34 inches long, slightly wider and longer than the W80 warhead used on air launched and sub launched cruise missiles. It weighs 388 pounds, almost 100 pounds heavier than the W80.
The W84 has all eight of the modern types of nuclear weapon safety features identified as desirable in nuclear weapon safety studies. It is the only US nuclear warhead which has all eight features. These include: insensitive, TATB
TATB
TATB, or triaminotrinitrobenzene, is an aromatic explosive, based on the basic six-carbon benzene ring structure with three nitro functional groups and three amine groups attached, alternating around the ring....
based plastic bonded high explosives; Fire Resistant Pit; Enhanced Nuclear Detonation Safety (ENDS/EEI) with detonator stronglinks; Command Disable; and the most advanced Permissive Action Link
Permissive Action Link
A Permissive Action Link is a security device for nuclear weapons. Its purpose is to prevent unauthorized arming or detonation of the nuclear weapon.The United States Department of Defense definition is:...
(PAL G).
The W84 warheads are in Enduring Stockpile
Enduring Stockpile
The "Enduring Stockpile" is the United States's arsenal of nuclear weapons following the end of the Cold War.During the Cold War the United States produced over 70,000 nuclear weapons. By its end the U.S. stockpile was about 23,000 weapons of 26 different types...
storage; the GLCM missiles which previously carried them have been destroyed to comply with the INF treaty, but the warheads are being maintained in case a future application is required.
See also
- GLCM
- B61 nuclear bombB61 nuclear bombThe B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is an intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design....
- B61 FamilyB61 FamilyThe B61 Family is a series of thermonuclear bombs and thermonuclear warheads based on the B61 nuclear bomb.-Initial development:The B61 bomb was developed by Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory starting in 1960...
- W80
- List of nuclear weapons
External links
- W84 page at nuclearweaponarchive.org
- W84 information at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...