Chevaline (Polaris A3TK)

Missile warheadUnited KingdomThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent225 kt

Key specs

Country: United Kingdom
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Missile warhead
In service: 1982–1996

Overview

A British upgrade of the Polaris missile front end built to get through the anti-ballistic missile defences around Moscow, carrying two 225 kt warheads and decoys instead of three 200 kt ET.317 warheads. It served from 1982 until Trident replaced it in 1996.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 225 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 530 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 2.4 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 4.3 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 6.2 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 13 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

Chevaline, Wikipedia