American nuclear weapons of all types – bombs, warheads, shells, and others – are numbered in the same sequence starting with the Mark 1 and (as of March 2006[update]) ending with the W91 (which was canceled prior to introduction into service). All designs which were formally intended to be weapons at some point received a number designation. Pure test units which were experiments (and not intended to be weapons) are not numbered in this sequence.
Early weapons were very large and could only be used as free fall bombs. These were known by "Mark" designators, like the Mark 4 which was a development of the Fat Man weapon. As weapons became more sophisticated they also became much smaller and lighter, allowing them to be used in many roles. At this time the weapons began to receive designations based on their role; bombs were given the prefix "B", while the same warhead used in other roles, like missiles, would normally be prefixed "W". For instance, the W-53 warhead was also used as the basis for the B53 nuclear bomb. Such examples share the same sequence number.
In other cases, when the modifications are more significant, variants are assigned their own number. An example is the B61 nuclear bomb, which was the parent design for the W80, W81, and W84. There are also examples of out-of-sequence numbering and other prefixes used in special occasions.
This list includes weapons which were developed to the point of being assigned a model number (and in many cases, prototypes were test fired), but which were then canceled prior to introduction into military service. Those models are listed as canceled, along with the year or date of cancellation of their program.
Bombs – designated with Mark ("Mk") numbers until 1968, and with "B" numbers after that. "Test Experimental" bombs designated with "TX".
Mark 1 – "Little Boy" gun-type uranium weapon (used against Hiroshima). (13–18 kilotons, 1945–1950)
Mark 2 – "Thin Man" plutonium gun design—cancelled in 1944
Implosion Mark 2 – Another Manhattan Project plutonium implosion weapon, a hollow pit implosion design, was also sometimes referred to as Mark 2. Also cancelled 1944.
Mark 3 – "Fat Man" plutonium implosion weapon (used against Nagasaki), effectively the same as the "Gadget" device used in the Trinity nuclear test with minor design differences. (21 kilotons, 1945–1950)
Mark 4 – Post-war "Fat Man" redesign. Bomb designed with weapon characteristics as the foremost criteria. (1949–1953)
Mark 5 – Significantly smaller high efficiency nuclear bomb. (1–120 kilotons, 1952–1963)
Mark 6 – Improved version of Mk-4. (8–160 kilotons, 1951–1962)
Mark 7 – Multi-purpose tactical bomb. (8–61 kilotons, 1952–1967)
Mark 8 – Gun-assembly, HEU weapon designed for penetrating hardened targets. (25–30 kilotons, 1951–1957)
Mark 10 – Improved version of Mk-8 (12–15 kilotons, cancelled May 1952).
Mark 11 – Re-designed Mk-8. Gun-type (8–30 kilotons).
Mark 12 – Light-weight bomb to be carried by fighter aircraft (12–14 kilotons).
Mark 13 – Improved version of Mk-6 (cancelled August 1954).
TX/Mark 14 – First deployable solid-fuel thermonuclear bomb (Castle Union device). Only five produced. (5 Megatons)
Mark 15 – First "lightweight" thermonuclear weapon. (1.7–3.8 Megatons, 1955–1965)
TX/Mark 16 – First weaponized thermonuclear weapon (Ivy Mike device). Only cryogenic weapon ever deployed. Only five produced. (6–8 Megatons)
Mark 17 – High-yield thermonuclear. Heaviest U.S. weapon, second highest yield of any U.S. weapon. Very similar to Mk-24. (10–15 Megatons)
Mark 18 – Very high yield fission weapon (Ivy King device).
Mark 20 – Improved Mark 13 (cancelled 1954)
Mark 21 – Re-designed variant of Castle Bravo test
Mark 22 – Failed thermonuclear design (Castle Koon device, cancelled April 1954).
Mark 24 – High-yield thermonuclear, very similar to Mk-17 but had a different secondary.
Mark 26 – Similar design to Mk 21 (cancelled 1956).
Mark 27 – Navy nuclear bomb (1958–1965)
Mk 101 Lulu (1958–1971)
Mk 105 Hotpoint (1958–1965)
B28 nuclear bomb (Mark 28) (1958–1991)
Mark 36 – Strategic nuclear bomb (1956–1961) 6–19 Megatons
At the peak of its arsenal in 1988, Russia possessed around 45,000 nuclear weapons in its stockpile, roughly 13,000 more than the United States arsenal, the second largest in the world, which peaked in 1966.[2]
Tests
Torpedoes
53-58 torpedo with 10 kilotons RDS-9 warhead
65-73 torpedo with 20 kilotons
VA-111 Shkval with 150 kilotons
Bombs
RDS-1, 22 kiloton bomb. Tested 29 August 1949 as "First Light" (Joe 1). Total of 5 stockpiled
RDS-2, 38 kiloton bomb. Tested 24 September 1951 as "Second Light." The RDS-2 was an entirely Russian design, delayed by development of the RDS-1
RDS-3, 42 kiloton bomb. First Soviet bomb tested in an airdrop on 18 October 1951. First 'mass-produced" Soviet bomb
RDS-3I, 62 kiloton bomb. Tested 24 October 1954. The RDS-31 was an improved RDS-3 with external neutron generator
RDS-4, "Tatyana" 42 kiloton bomb. The RDS-4 was smaller and lighter than previous Soviet Bombs.
RDS-5
RDS-6, also known as RDS-6S, or "sloika" or 'layer cake" gaining about 20% of its yield from fusion. RDS-6 was tested on 12 August 1953. Yield 400 kilotons
RDS-7, a backup for the RDS-6, the RDS-7 was a 500 kiloton all fission bomb comparable to the US Mk-18, development dropped after success of the RDS-6S
RDS-27, 250 kiloton bomb, a 'boosted' fission bomb tested 6 November 1955.
RDS-37, 1.6 megaton bomb, the first Soviet two-stage hydrogen bomb, tested 22 November 1955
RDS-220 Tsar Bomba an extremely large three stage bomb, initially designed as a 100-megaton-bomb, but was scaled down to 50 megatons for testing.
Unknown model 550 kiloton warheads for RT-23 Molodets / SS-24 Scalpel ICBM (10 MIRV warheads)
Unknown model 550 kiloton warhead for RT-2PM Topol / SS-25 Sickle ICBM
Unknown model 550 kiloton warhead for RT-2UTTH Topol M / SS-27 ICBM
Various tactical nuclear weapons including "suitcase bombs" (RA-115 or RA-115-01 as examples)
United Kingdom
Blue Steel
Yellow Sun productionised air-delivered thermonuclear bomb casing.
Warheads
Blue Danube Fission weapon.
Red Snow for Yellow Sun Mk.2.
Green Grass For Yellow Sun Mk.1.
Red Beard, tactical nuclear weapon.
WE.177 (also used as a nuclear depth charge).
Blue Cat – nuclear warhead a.k.a. Tony - UK version of US W44, a.k.a. Tsetse.
Blue Fox – kiloton range nuclear weapon, later renamed Indigo Hammer - not to be confused with the later Blue Fox radar.
Blue Peacock ten-kiloton nuclear land mine, a.k.a. the "chicken-powered nuclear bomb", originally 'Blue Bunny' It used the Blue Danube physics package.
Blue Rosette – short-case nuclear weapon bomb casing for reconnaissance bomber to spec R156T, including the Avro 730, Handley Page HP.100, English Electric P10, Vickers SP4 and various others.
Blue Slug – nuclear ship-to-ship missile using Sea Slug launcher.
Blue Water – nuclear armed surface to surface missile.
Green Bamboo – nuclear weapon.
Green Cheese – nuclear anti-ship missile.
Green Flash – Green Cheese's replacement.
Green Granite – nuclear weapons – Green Granite (small) & Green Granite (large).
Green Grass – nuclear weapon
Indigo Hammer – nuclear weapon
Orange Herald – fusion-boosted fission weapon. It is believed that the fusion boost didn't work, which would make it the most powerful fission bomb ever tested at 720 kt.
Violet Club – nuclear weapon
France
France is said to have an arsenal of 350 nuclear weapons stockpiled as of 2002.
Bombs
AN 11
AN 22
AN 52 (MR 50 CTC)
Warheads (and missiles)
MR 31 (S2)
MR 41 (M1 and M2)
MR 50 CTC (AN 51 CTC and AN 52 CTC)
AN 51 CTC (Pluton)
AN 52 CTC (AN 52)
TN 60 (M20)
TN 61 (M20 and S3)
TN 70 MIRV (M4)
TN 71 MIRV (M4)
TN 75 MIRV (M45 and M51)
TN 76 MIRV (M5)
TN 80 (ASMP)
TN 81 (ASMP)
TN 90 (Hàdes)
TNA (ASMP-A)
TNO MIRV (M51)
China
China is believed to possess around 250 nuclear weapons, but has released very little information about the contents of its arsenal.
Although India's nuclear programme and its details are highly classified, international figures suggest that India possesses about 150 nuclear weapons, with enough weapons-grade plutonium for another 150–200 nuclear weapons (2020 estimate). In 1999, India was estimated to have 800 kg of separated reactor-grade plutonium, with a total amount of 8,300 kg of civilian plutonium, enough for approximately 1,000 nuclear weapons.[6][7][8]
Israel
Israel is widely believed to possess a substantial arsenal of nuclear weapons and missiles, estimated at 75–130 and 100–200[9] warheads, but refuses officially to confirm or deny whether it has a nuclear weapon program, leaving the details of any such weapons unclear. Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician for Israel, confirmed the existence of a nuclear weapons program in 1986.
Unconfirmed rumors have hinted at tactical nuclear artillery shells, light fission bombs and missile warheads, and perhaps thermonuclear missile warheads.[10]
The BBC News Online website published an article[11] on 28 May 2008, which quotes former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as stating that Israel has at least 150 nuclear weapons. The article continues to state that this is the second confirmation of Israel's nuclear capability by a U.S. spokesman following comments from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates at a Senate hearing and had apparently been confirmed a short time later by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.[12]
As of June 2019, Pakistan is believed to possess about 160 nuclear weapons. The specifications of its weapon production are not disclosed to the public. The main series for nuclear transportation is Hatf (lit. Target).[13][14]
North Korea
North Korea claims to possess nuclear weapons, however, the specifications of its systems are not public. It is estimated to have 6–18 low yield nuclear weapons (August 2012 estimate).[15] On 9 October 2006, North Korea achieved its first nuclear detonation.
On 25 May 2009, North Korea conducted a second test of nuclear weapons at the same location as the original test. The test weapon was of the same magnitude as the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in the 2nd World War. At the same time of the test, North Korea tested two short range ballistic missiles. The country tested a 7 kt nuclear weapon on 2 February 2013. On 3 September 2017, North Korea conducted an underground thermonuclear test which had an estimated yield of 100kt to 250kt, according to various sources.
On March 24, 2023, North Korea unveiled the Hwasal-31 화살-31 (ko) tactical nuclear bomb with at least 10 warheads shown, each measuring an estimated 40 to 50 centimeters in diameter and 1 meter in length as reported by the South Korean media. KN-23 and KN-25 ballistic missiles are capable of carrying it.[16][17][18]
South Africa
South Africa built six or seven gun-type weapons. All constructed weapons were verified by International Atomic Energy Agency and other international observers to have been dismantled, along with the complete weapons program, and their highly enriched uranium was reprocessed back into low enriched form unsuitable for weapons.
See also
Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents
↑Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen, "Global nuclear stockpiles, 1945-2006," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 62, no. 4 (July/August 2006), 64-66.
– indicates that "most international experts conclude that South Africa has completed its nuclear disarmament. South Africa is the first and to date only country to build nuclear weapons and then entirely dismantle its nuclear weapons program."