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Aircraft bombUnited KingdomImplosion fission

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Yield · TNT equivalent400 kt

Key specs

Country: United Kingdom
Design: Implosion fission
Type: Aircraft bomb
Diameter: 1.1 m
In service: 1958–1960

Overview

An interim “high-yield” pure-fission bomb of about 400 kt (never tested), carried by the Vulcan until British hydrogen bombs were ready. Its hollow uranium core was kept safe by being filled with steel balls that had to be removed before flight.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 400 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 670 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 2.6 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 5.2 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 7.8 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 16 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

Violet Club, Wikipedia