B57 (nuclear weapon)

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A B57 atomic bomb

The B57 was a US tactical nuclear weapon during the Cold War .

Production began in 1963 with the designation Mk 57 . The bomb was designed to be dropped from tactical combat aircraft from great heights. It had a streamlined body that enabled the carrier aircraft to fly at supersonic speed.

Some variants of the B57 were provided with a braking parachute made of Kevlar to slow down the fall, to allow the aircraft to escape or to lay the bomb on the ground from low heights (15 m) ( laydown delivery ). There were a variety of detonators that enabled detonation in the air or on impact with the ground. There were hydrostatic fuses especially for the B57, with which the bomb could be used against submarines.

The B57 was produced in six different variants, so-called mods (model). The explosive power of the individual types was roughly:

  • Mod 0: 5 kT
  • Mod 1, Mod 2: 10 kT
  • Mod 3, Mod 4: 15 ct
  • Mod 5: 20 kT

The US Navy variant equipped with the hydrostatic fuse replaced the old Mk 101 Lulu bomb model . The variant planned for the destruction of submarines had an explosive force of 10 kt TNT.

The construction principle of the fission explosive device was an improved Tsetse Primary Design . The B57 was produced from 1963 to 1967. After 1968 the name was changed from Mk 57 to B57 . A total of around 3,100 units were produced. The last bombs were decommissioned in June 1993.

Carrier systems

The B57, like the B43 , could be dropped from all common aircraft of the USAF , USN and USMC . The following list is a compilation of aircraft that were demonstrably intended as carriers:

Furthermore, the bomb could be dropped in use against submerged submarines by helicopters of the US Navy such as the SH-3 Sea King . The B57 was also made available to the Royal Canadian Air Force within the nuclear participation agreed by NATO at locations in Germany, the Canadair CF-104 served as the carrier . In an emergency, the Royal Air Force would also have had access to B57, which were stationed by the USA on bases in St. Mawgan and Kinloss Great Britain and on the base in Luqa , Malta . The RAF provided Nimrod aircraft as carriers .

Technical specifications

  • Length: 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
  • Diameter: 37.5 cm (14.75 in)
  • Mass: approx. 227 kg (500 lb)
  • Brake parachute: 3.8 m (12.5 ft) / Kevlar

literature

  • John Clearwater: US Nuclear Weapons in Canada , Dundurn Group Ltd, 1999, ISBN 978-1-55002-329-9 , pp. 210-211.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Usa/Weapons/Allbombs.html Allbombs.html
  2. ↑ http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/26613570165t2883/?p=bd8073a6a670493e95bcea5c5a939b31&pi=14
  3. ↑ http://nuclear-weapons.info/o.htm A guide to British nuclear weapons