What are tactical nuclear weapons?
Tactical nuclear weapons are relatively low profitable nuclear weapons intended for use on the battlefield in the war. This is unlike strategic nuclear weapons that are designed to focus on large cities and military facilities. Tactical nuclear weapons were particularly built to prepare for a possible total war between the Soviet Union, the United States and their relevant allies.
One example of tactical nuclear weapons is the M-388 crowds Crockett, a nuclear insignificant rifle equipped with a payload of 76 lb (34.5 kg), only 31 inches (78.7 cm) with a diameter of 11 inches (28 cm). Clacett crowds were to be released by ground units on the enemy side in the middle of the battle. It used the configuration of "Dial-A-Sield", a variable yield that could be set to 10 to 20 tons, very low for a nuclear weapon, but according to conventional weapons standards is quite significant. Its yield was similar to the so -called "mother of all bombs" developed by the United States in 2003.
Another tactical nuclear weapon, a variant on the W54 head used for crowds of Crockett, was the SADM variant (special atomic demolition ammunition). SADM's playing was a nuke backpack. It was supposed to use a two -member team of the Navy or Marine, who would fall into the finish zone, such as the port of an enemy country, put a bomb and a timer, and then swim into the sea to get them with a submarine or high -speed surface vessel. After the team was out of damage, the tactical nuclear weapon would detonate and the target port would be destroyed. The SADM package also had a variable yield, but it went up to a kiloton, about a tenth of the nuclear bomb yield fell to Hiroshima.
Other tactical nuclear weapons such as the B57 nuclear bomb and the British beard were mounted on the chassis of a similar rocket or a conventional bomb. These would be dropped by a tactical aircraft and would have a higher yield than smaller W54 heads.
Another tactical nuclear weapon whoThe British imagined the Blue Peacock Nuclear Mine. The intention was to install numerous nuclear mines in Germany Heartland, leave them armed and ready to launch in the case of another war, including Germany. In the end, it was decided that the political and ethical attacked, representing such efforts were too great and the project was discarded.