W70

Missile warheadUnited StatesThermonuclear (staged)

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Yield · TNT equivalent1–100 kt

Key specs

Country: United States
Design: Thermonuclear (staged)
Type: Missile warhead
Weight: 120 kg
Length: 1.04 m
Diameter: 460 mm
In service: 1973–1992
Number built: 1,280

Overview

The variable-yield warhead of the MGM-52 Lance battlefield missile. Its Mod 3 version of about 1 kt was an enhanced-radiation weapon, the so-called neutron bomb, killing mainly by radiation rather than blast.

Effect radii: estimates

Calculated for 100 kt

Fireball, maximum radius: ≈ 380 m
Initial radiation, 500 rem (5 Sv): ≈ 2 km
Blast 5 psi: most buildings collapse: ≈ 3.3 km
Thermal: third-degree burns: ≈ 4.4 km
Blast 1 psi: windows shatter: ≈ 10 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)
W70, Wikipedia