Gerboise Bleue

Test deviceFranceImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent60–70 kt

Key specs

Country: France
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Test device
Number built: 1

Overview

France’s first nuclear test, a plutonium device of 60–70 kt fired on a tower near Reggane in the Algerian Sahara in February 1960, during the Algerian War. It was then the most powerful first test of any country.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 70 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 330 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.9 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2.9 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 3.8 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 9.1 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
Feb 13, 1960	Gerboise Bleue	Reggane, Algeria	70 kt

Sources

Gerboise Bleue (nuclear test), Wikipedia