Mk 5

Aircraft bombUnited StatesImplosion fission

Mk 5 — Photo: USDE · Public domain · background removed

Yield · TNT equivalent6–120 kt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Aircraft bomb
Weight: 1.4 t
Length: 3.3 m
Diameter: 1.11 m
In service: 1952–1963
Number built: 140

Overview

A much lighter implosion bomb than the Mk 4, with 92 explosive lenses instead of 32. It weighed about 1.4 tonnes and, depending on the core, gave 6 to 120 kt.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 120 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 410 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 2.1 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 3.5 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 4.8 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 11 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 5 nuclear bomb, Wikipedia