Mk 17

Aircraft bombUnited StatesThermonuclear (staged)

Yield · TNT equivalent10–15 Mt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Aircraft bomb
Weight: 19 t
Length: 7.54 m
Diameter: 1.56 m
In service: 1954–1957
Number built: 200

Overview

The first American hydrogen bomb in service: 7.5 m long and about 19 tonnes, it fitted only the giant B-36 bomber. Its design was tested as Castle Romeo in 1954 (11 Mt); 200 were built and all retired by 1957.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 15 Mt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 2.9 km
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 5.2 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 18 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 35 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 54 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
Mar 27, 1954	Castle Romeo	Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands	11 Mt

Sources

Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Weapon Archive (Carey Sublette)
Mark 17 nuclear bomb, Wikipedia