A Low-Yield, Submarine-Launched Nuclear Warhead: Overview of the Expert Debate

Abstract

The Trump Administration is developing a new low-yield version of the W-76 warhead for existing submarine launched Trident II (D-5) missiles. Unclassified sources state that the current W76-1 warhead has an explosive yield of around 100 kilotons. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has said the low-yield version, the W76-2, would be configured "for primary-only detonation." This could mean a yield of less than 10 kilotons.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 10, 2020
Accession Number
AD1146810

Entities

People

  • Amy F. Woolf

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cold War
  • Congress
  • Conventional Warfare
  • Cruise Missiles
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Detection
  • Deterrence
  • Law
  • Nuclear Warheads
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Submarine Launched
  • Submarines
  • United States
  • Warheads
  • Warning Systems
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security