Mk 39 / B39

Aircraft bombUnited StatesThermonuclear (staged)

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent3.8 Mt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Aircraft bomb
Weight: 3.04 t
Length: 3.56 m
Diameter: 890 mm
In service: 1957–1966
Number built: 700

Overview

An improved Mk 15 with a gas-boosted primary and a yield of about 3.8 Mt. Around 700 were built for B-47, B-52 and B-58 bombers, and as the W39 it armed the Redstone and Snark missiles.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 3.8 Mt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 1.6 km
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 4 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 11 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 20 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 34 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 39 nuclear bomb, Wikipedia