RDS-2

Aircraft bombSoviet UnionImplosion fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent38.3 kt

Key specs

Country: Soviet Union
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Aircraft bomb

Overview

The second Soviet atomic bomb, an improved RDS-1 with new explosive lenses and a levitated core that used its plutonium more efficiently. Fired on a tower at Semipalatinsk in September 1951, it yielded 38 kt, nearly twice as much as RDS-1.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 38.3 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 260 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 1.7 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 2.4 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 3 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 7.4 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
Sep 24, 1951	RDS-2	Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakh SSR	38.3 kt

Sources

Soviet Nuclear Test Summary, Nuclear Weapon Archive (Carey Sublette)
RDS-2, Wikipedia