Robin (nuclear primary)

Common design nuclear fission bomb core

The Robin nuclear primary was the common design nuclear fission bomb core for several Cold War designs for American nuclear and thermonuclear weapons, according to researcher Chuck Hansen.[1][2] Primary is the technical term for the fission bomb component of a thermonuclear or fusion bomb, which is used to start the reactions going and implode and detonate the second, fusion stage. The Robin design was used as the W45 nuclear warhead, and as the primary (stage) in the W38 and W47 thermonuclear weapons.[3]

It has been associated with the W48 nuclear warhead, but this is probably an error.[citation needed]

## History

[edit]

The Robin is apparently a weaponized version of the Swan primary tested during Operation Redwing and shares its design features.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* List of nuclear weapons
* Teller-Ulam design
* Python primary
* Tsetse primary

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hansen, Chuck (2001). "Beware the old story". Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. 57 (2): 52–55\. doi:10.2968/057002015.
2. ^ Norris, Robert Standish; Cochran, Thomas B. (February 1, 1994). "United States Nuclear Tests July 1945 to 31 December 1992" (PDF). Natural Resources Defense Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2007.
3. ^ Parsch, Andreas (2023). "Designations of U.S. Nuclear Weapons". Retrieved December 11, 2007.

* v
* t
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United States nuclear devices

Fission
(including
boosted)|

| Gravity bombs|

* Little Boy (Mark 1)
* Thin Man (Mark 2)
* Fat Man (Mark 3)
* Mark 4
* Mark 5
* Mark 6
* Mark 7
* Mark 8
* Mark 10
* Mark 11
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* Mark 13
* Mark 18
* Mark 20
* Mk 105
* B57

|

Warheads|

* W4
* W5
* W7
* W8
* W12
* W13
* W25
* W30
* W31
* W34
* W37
* W40
* W42
* W44
* W45
* XW-51
* W54
* W72
* W76-2
* W81

Depth bombs|

* Mark 90
* Mk 101
* Mk 105
* B57

Artillery|

* W9
* W19
* W23
* W33
* W48
* W54
* W74
* W75
* W79-1
* W82-1

Atomic demolition
munitions|

* XM1 ADM
* T2 ADM
* T4
* Medium Atomic Demolition Munition (MADM)
* Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM)
* Tactical Atomic Demolition Munition (TADM)

Thermonuclear|

| Gravity bombs|

* Mark 14
* Mark 15
* TX16
* Mark 17
* Mark 21
* TX22
* Mark 24
* Mark 26
* Mark 27
* B28
* Mark 36
* Mark 39
* B41
* B43
* TX46
* B53
* B61
* B77
* B83
* B90

|

Depth bombs|

* B90

Warheads|

* W15
* W27
* W28
* TX29
* XW-35
* W38
* W39
* W41
* XW-46
* W47
* W49
* W50
* W52
* W53
* W55
* W56
* W58
* W59
* W60
* W61
* W62
* W63
* W64
* W67
* W68
* W69
* W70
* W71
* W73
* W76
* W78
* W80
* W84
* W85
* W86
* W87
* W88
* W89
* W91
* Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW)
* W93

Enhanced
radiation|

| Warheads|

* W63
* W64
* W65
* W66
* W70-3

|

Artillery|

* W79-0
* W82-0

Primary stages|

* Robin
* Swan
* Python
* Tsetse
* Kinglet
* Starling
* Komodo

Experimental|

* Gadget
* Sausage
* RACER IV

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