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TN 80 / TN 81

TN 80 / TN 81
Missile warheadFranceThermonuclear (staged)
No freely licensed photo of this device yet.
Yield · TNT equivalent300 kt

Key specs

Country
France
Design
Thermonuclear (staged)
Type
Missile warhead
In service
1985–2010

Overview

The 300 kt warheads of the ASMP supersonic air-to-surface missile. The TN 80 armed the Mirage IVP from 1985 to 1991; the TN 81, introduced in 1988, armed Mirage 2000N and Super Étendard aircraft until the TNA replaced it around 2010.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 300 kt

Fireball, maximum radius
≈ 600 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv)
≈ 2.5 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse
≈ 4.8 km
Thermal: third-degree burns
≈ 6.9 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter
≈ 15 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

  1. TN 81, Wikipedia