Mk 36 / B36

Aircraft bombUnited StatesThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent9–10 Mt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Aircraft bomb
Weight: 7.98 t
Length: 3.81 m
Diameter: 1.5 m
In service: 1956–1962
Number built: 940

Overview

A two-stage strategic bomb of 9–10 Mt that replaced the even heavier Mk 17 and Mk 24. Some 940 were built for B-36, B-47 and B-52 bombers; most were converted into B41s from 1961.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 10 Mt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 2.4 km
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 4.8 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 15 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 29 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 47 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

Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Weapon Archive (Carey Sublette)
Mark 36 nuclear bomb, Wikipedia