The moment the first nuclear weapon, known as “Trinity,” was detonated in 1945, the world of warfare was forever changed. Nuclear weapons not only became the goal for the Soviet Union; they became the goal for every tinpot dictator and a guarantor of any regime, anywhere in the world. The reason is their sheer destructive power. The fear that a nuclear-armed power might use its nuclear weapons keeps dictators in control – and in check.
It’s been a long road from nuclear weapons like Trinity, Little Boy, and Fat Man. Ever since, the nuclear arms race has been determined to make atomic weapons bigger, more explosive, and more efficient killing machines. Here are some of the most devastating nuclear devices ever devised.
1. Tsar Bomba (50-100 Megatons)
“Big Ivan,” or the “Tsar Bomba,” created the largest explosion ever made by man, and it was tempered to only half of its full strength. Secretary Nikita Khrushchev demanded a record-setting bomb to demonstrate the Soviet Union’s might ahead of a crucial meeting of the Communist Party. To fulfill his wishes, scientists designed and created the bomb in only 15 weeks. Initially developed for a 100-megaton blast, the bomb was scaled down to only 50 megatons to prevent damage to Soviet cities in the original fallout radius. Only one was ever created.
2. B-41 nuclear bomb (10-25 MT)
Capable of a 25-Megaton blast, the B41 was the most powerful nuclear bomb ever developed by the U.S. Like the Tsar Bomba, it was a three-stage device. About 500 were created. Due to their weight, they could not ride on missiles, and bombers could only carry one device at a time.
3. TX-21 “Shrimp” (15 Megatons)
The TX-21 was an experimental weapon that was supposed to create a 5-MT blast. An experimental fusion fuel caused the blast to increase to 15 megatons. While the U.S. ended up with a much stronger weapon than it expected, the experiment resulted in multiple deaths, untold numbers of birth defects, and the accidental contamination of 7,000 square miles of Pacific islands and ocean.
4. B-17 (10-15 Megatons)
The B-17 was America’s first thermonuclear bomb to be deployed. In a way, it was a tuned-down version of the TX-21. The TX-17 prototype created a 11-MT blast much larger than the expected 4-MT explosion because of an unexpected reaction in the fusion fuel.
5. B-24 (10-15 Megatons)
The B-24 was very similar to the B-17, but it utilized enriched lithium fusion fuel instead of the natural lithium found in the B-17. The experimental TX-24 produced a slightly larger explosion in testing than the B-17 (13.5 Megatons vs 11), but the estimated yields in their weaponized forms were roughly the same.
6. B-36 (10 Megatons)
After the TX-21 “Shrimp” test, America fielded the B-21 with a yield of 4 Megatons. The military decided to convert the B-21 to B-36s, making each bomb about 2.5 times as strong.
7. B53 (9 Megatons)
The B-53 contained 300 pounds of high-explosive material that triggered a uranium pit. The pit would then create a nine-megaton explosion.
8. EC-16 (6-8 Megatons)
The EC-16 was an “emergency capability” nuclear device and the only thermonuclear device deployed that required a cooling system. Five devices were delivered to the U.S. arsenal in January 1954, but they were quickly replaced when the more stable and easier-to-deploy B-14s and B-17s became operational later that year.
9. EC-14 (7 Megatons)
The EC-14 was the first solid-fuel thermonuclear weapon deployed by the U.S. Only five were ever produced, and production ended in early 1954. By April of that same year, the EC-14 was tested during the Castle Union nuclear test, yielding 6.9 Megatons. It was only ever deployed as an emergency capability. The EC-14 was retired in Oct. 1954, and many of them were converted to B-17s.
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