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Davy Crockett (W54)

W54 / M388 "Davy Crockett"
Recoilless-rifle roundUnited StatesImplosion fission
Davy Crockett (W54)
Photo: Grendelkhan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · background removed
Yield · TNT equivalent10–20 t

Key specs

Design
Implosion fission
Type
Recoilless-rifle round
Weight
34 kg
Length
787 mm
Diameter
280 mm
In service
1961–1971
Number built
2,100

Overview

The smallest nuclear weapon the United States fielded: a W54 warhead in the M388 round, fired from the M28 or M29 recoilless launcher by a three-man crew. Its yield of 10 to 20 tons of TNT was meant for stopping armoured columns in Europe at ranges of 2 to 4 km.

Developed from 1958, it was issued to US Army units, mostly in West Germany, from 1961. The only live firing, Little Feller I in July 1962, was watched by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The short range and the danger to its own crew limited its value, and the last rounds were withdrawn in 1971. About 2,100 were made.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 20 t

Fireball, maximum radius
≈ 13 m
Thermal: third-degree burns
≈ 130 m
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse
≈ 190 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv)
≈ 400 m
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter
≈ 600 m

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

DateEventSiteYield
Jul 7, 1962Little Feller IIStatic detonation of the W54 warhead.Nevada Test Site, USA22 t
Jul 17, 1962Little Feller IThe only live firing of the Davy Crockett, from an M29 launcher 2.7 km away, during exercise Ivy Flats.Nevada Test Site, USA18 t

Test footage

Archive films hosted on YouTube. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play; the player then comes from youtube-nocookie.com.

atomcentral · youtube.com
The Nevada National Security Sites · youtube.com

Sources

  1. Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Weapon Archive (Carey Sublette)
  2. Davy Crockett (nuclear device), Wikipedia