Dongfeng-2 warhead (test No. 4)

DF-2 warhead (CHIC-4)

Missile warheadChinaImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent12 kt

Key specs

Country: China
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Missile warhead

Overview

In October 1966 China launched a Dongfeng-2 ballistic missile with a live 12 kt nuclear warhead, which detonated over the Lop Nur test site. It showed that China could deliver nuclear weapons by missile only two years after its first test.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 12 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 160 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.3 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 1.6 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 1.9 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 5 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
Oct 27, 1966	Dongfeng-2 warhead (test No. 4)	Lop Nur, Xinjiang, China	12 kt

Sources

List of nuclear weapons tests of China, Wikipedia