Last 9 Megaton Nuclear 'Monster Weapon' Gets Dismantled

Last 9 Megaton Nuclear ‘Monster Weapon’ Gets Dismantled

Military • October 2011 • Views: 1,705

In the 1960s, the skies above the United States were patrolled by agents of the apocalypse. Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses circled the North American continent, 24 hours a day, cradling two megabombs in their bellies. Those B-53 bombs each weighed 10,000 lbs. Were one to drop on the White House, a nine-megaton yield would destroy all life out into suburban Maryland and Virginia.

It was the ultimate Cold War weapon, the one that Major Kong would have rode into Armageddon at the end of Dr. Strangelove. And on Tuesday, it will no longer exist.

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10 comments

albigensian Mon, Oct 24, 2011 11:06:27am

It's not as if we're kinder and gentler now.

Today, instead of using a B-52 to drop a 9MT bomb somewhere near the target, we'd use a MIRV'd missile with precision guidance to drop a couple of bombs on the target and land another half-dozen in a circle around the target, plus perhaps a couple more on roads leading into the city.

If anything, today's attack would be far more lethal. As well as being more likely to survive long enough to expend its weapons.

Political Atheist Mon, Oct 24, 2011 11:15:59am

re: #1 albigensian

Hence Prompt Conventional Global Strike. Someday, no more city busters at all.

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 24, 2011 12:33:28pm

re: #1 albigensian

It's not as if we're kinder and gentler now.

Today, instead of using a B-52 to drop a 9MT bomb somewhere near the target, we'd use a MIRV'd missile with precision guidance to drop a couple of bombs on the target and land another half-dozen in a circle around the target, plus perhaps a couple more on roads leading into the city.

If anything, today's attack would be far more lethal. As well as being more likely to survive long enough to expend its weapons.

9 megatons is equivalent to the energy release of 9 million tons of high explosive. And will take out an entire urban area and kill millions of people in the initial blast if dropped on a major urban area.

I agree that mirv strikes are horrible. But we are at least reducing those too.

Decatur Deb Mon, Oct 24, 2011 12:36:47pm

re: #3 LudwigVanQuixote

Check the typo pencil on '9 billion'. IFAIK it should be million.

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 24, 2011 1:34:23pm

re: #4 Decatur Deb

Check the typo pencil on '9 billion'. IFAIK it should be million.

I did!

Political Atheist Mon, Oct 24, 2011 1:48:33pm

re: #3 LudwigVanQuixote

MIRVS are still big horrific warheads. Instead use 500 lb's of tungsten at mach 5 or higher through the right window or roof and job done. No fallout, at least not the radioactive kind. Awesome science in the waverider program BTW

Youtube Video

celticdragon Mon, Oct 24, 2011 1:57:04pm

We pretty much did away with out mirv capability as well. All of the LGM-118 Peacekeeper missiles are gone and we are only using the LGM-30 Minuteman III configured for a single re-entry vehicle. We have about 450 Minuteman III missiles on standbye, so there is no shortage there to be sure. The Minuteman III is armed with a W62 warhead with a 170 kiloton nominal yield.

The Ohio class submarines carry the UGM-133 Trident II SLBM which can carry up to 12 mirv's, but under the SORT protocals this has been reduced to 4 or 5 according to wikipedia.

watching you tiny alien kittens are Mon, Oct 24, 2011 5:04:15pm

There were rather strong rumors during the mid-eighties that the Soviet Union had built several Gigaton warheads, I wonder what happened to them, hmm?

Decatur Deb Mon, Oct 24, 2011 5:09:34pm

re: #8 ausador

There were rather strong rumors during the mid-eighties that the Soviet Union had built several Gigaton warheads, I wonder what happened to them, hmm?

Largest I have heard of was the 50-100 megaton 'Tsar Bomba'. It was not deliverable.

[Link: en.wikipedia.org...]

Varek Raith Tue, Oct 25, 2011 3:35:52am

re: #8 ausador

There were rather strong rumors during the mid-eighties that the Soviet Union had built several Gigaton warheads, I wonder what happened to them, hmm?

I'm certain that's beyond the technical limits of a fission or fusion bomb.
You'd need something like antimatter.

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