B53

B53 is a high-yield, air-dropped nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. It was the primary weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile until it was retired in 1997. The B53 was designed to be a bunker buster weapon, capable of penetrating deep into the earth before detonating, thus destroying underground targets.

Design and Development

The B53 was developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was designed to be a high-yield weapon, with a yield of 9 megatons. The weapon was designed to be air-dropped from a variety of aircraft, including the B-52 Stratofortress and the B-2 Spirit.

The B53 used a two-stage thermonuclear design, with a fission primary and a fusion secondary. The primary was a plutonium core surrounded by a uranium shell, while the secondary was a mixture of lithium deuteride and uranium.

Deployment

The B53 was deployed in 1962 and remained in service until 1997. It was the primary weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile for much of that time. The B53 was designed to be a bunker buster weapon, capable of penetrating deep into the earth before detonating, thus destroying underground targets.

Retirement

The B53 was retired in 1997, and the last of the weapons were dismantled in 2011. The retirement of the B53 was part of a broader effort by the U.S. to reduce the size of its nuclear arsenal.

See Also

• List of nuclear weapons
• B61 nuclear bomb
• B83 nuclear bomb

References

B53 Resources
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