B28 (Mk 28)

Aircraft bombUnited StatesThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent0.07–1.45 Mt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Aircraft bomb
Diameter: 510 mm
In service: 1958–1991
Number built: 4,500

Overview

One of the most numerous US weapons, some 4,500 built: a compact thermonuclear bomb in several versions for internal and external carriage, with yields from 70 kt to 1.45 Mt. As the W28 it also armed the Hound Dog and Mace missiles.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 1.45 Mt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 1.1 km
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 3.4 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 8 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 13 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 25 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

Sources

Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Weapon Archive (Carey Sublette)
B28 nuclear bomb, Wikipedia