Back مارك 39 (قنبلة نووية) Arabic Bomba nuclear B39/W39 Spanish Mark 39 -ydinpommi Finnish W39 French Mark 39 (bom nuklir) ID Mark 39 (核爆弾) Japanese B39 Portuguese Mark 39 (ядерная бомба) Russian Ядерна бомба Mark 39 Ukrainian Mark 39氫彈 Chinese

Mark 39 nuclear bomb

Mark 39 Mod 2 nuclear bomb
Mark 39 Mod 2 nuclear bomb on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The nose plate containing the contact fuze states: "REJECT IF DENTED OR DEFORMED."
A diagram of the external features of the Mark 39 Mod 2 casing, showing the forward section containing the warhead (A), the rear section containing the parachute pack (B), and the location of the Arm/Safe Switch access panel.

The Mark 39 nuclear bomb and W39 nuclear warhead were versions of an American thermonuclear weapon, which were in service from 1957 to 1966.

The Mark 39 design was a thermonuclear bomb and had a yield of 3.8 megatons.[1] It weighed 6,500–6,750 pounds (2,950–3,060 kilograms),[2] and was about 11 feet, 8 inches long (3.556 meters)[2] with a diameter of 35 inches (89 cm).[2] The design is an improved Mark 15 nuclear bomb design (the TX-15-X3 design and Mark 39 Mod 0 were the same design). The Mark 15 was the first lightweight US thermonuclear bomb.

The W39 warhead was 35 inches (89 cm) in diameter and 106 inches (270 cm) long, with a weight of 6,230 pounds (2,830 kg) to 6,400 pounds (2,900 kg). It was essentially identical to the Mark 39 bomb, but lacked its parachute, fins, and "false" nose. It was used on the SM-62 Snark missile, PGM-11 Redstone short-range ballistic missile, and in the B-58 Hustler weapons pod. It was designated as a possible warhead to use in the SM-64 Navaho missile prior to the latter's cancellation. A lower-yield variant of the Mark 39 was developed for use with the Redstone missile. Sources indicated it may have been as low as 425 kilotons, or as high as 500 kilotons.[3][4]

A total of 700 Mark 39 bombs (of three "mod" variants) were produced between February 1957 and March 1959. Retirement of the Mark 39 began in January 1962 and concluded in November 1966. 60 W39 warheads were produced for the Redstone missile and stockpiled between 1958 and 1963, and 30 W39 warheads were produced for the Snark missile in 1958 and retired between August 1962 and September 1965.[5]

  1. ^ Some sources list the yield as 3-4 megatons, while others, especially those connected with the W39, list it as 3.75 megatons.
  2. ^ a b c Swopes, Bryan. "Mark 39 Nuclear Bomb Archives". This Day in Aviation. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  3. ^ A first-hand account that lists it as 500 kilotons is: Ryan, Jim (2022). "The Redstone Missile In Detail". My Army Redstone Missile Days.
  4. ^ A memo from the Director of Central Intelligence to the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1963 lists the lower yield of the Redstone as being 425 kilotons. DCI Briefing to Joint Chiefs of Staff (30 July 1963), p. 21.
  5. ^ Sublette, Carey (30 March 2023). "Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons". Nuclear Weapon Archive.

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