AN-52

Aircraft bombFranceImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent6–25 kt

Key specs

Country: France
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Aircraft bomb
Weight: 455 kg
Length: 4.2 m
In service: 1972–1992

Overview

A French pre-strategic bomb of about 455 kg with two yield settings, 6–8 kt and 25 kt, carried by Mirage III, Jaguar and Super Étendard fighter-bombers. It was test-dropped in August 1972 and served until 1992; 80–100 were made.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 25 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 220 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2.1 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 2.5 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 6.4 km

Estimated ground ranges for an air burst at the optimum height over flat, open ground, computed from the yield with standard scaling laws. These are not measurements: real effects depend on the height of burst, terrain, buildings and weather.

Formulas from: Glasstone & Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977), chapter II; Carey Sublette, Nuclear Weapons FAQ, section 5

Tests and use

Date	Event	Site	Yield
Aug 28, 1972	AN-52	Pacific Experimentation Centre, French Polynesia	—

Sources

AN-52 bomb, Wikipedia