W33

Artillery shellUnited StatesGun-type fission

No freely licensed photo of this device yet.

Yield · TNT equivalent5–40 kt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Gun-type fission
Type: Artillery shell
Weight: 110 kg
Length: 940 mm
Diameter: 203 mm
In service: 1957–1992
Number built: 2,000

Overview

An 8-inch (203 mm) gun-type nuclear artillery shell of 5 to 40 kt, fired from heavy howitzers. Around 2,000 were made and served in Europe and Korea until 1992.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 40 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 270 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: ≈ 7.5 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)
W33 (nuclear warhead), Wikipedia