World's atomic warhead designs, 1945?present
This is a
list of
nuclear weapons
listed according to country of origin, and then by type within the states.
United States
[
edit
]
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 cancelled 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 cancelled prior to introduction into military service. Those models are listed as cancelled, 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
- B39 nuclear bomb
(Mark 39) (1957?1966)
- B41 nuclear bomb
(Mark 41) (1960?1976); highest yield US nuclear weapon (25 Megatons).
- B43 nuclear bomb
(Mark 43) (1961?1991)
- B46 nuclear bomb
or (Mark 46); experimental, design evolved into
B53 nuclear bomb
and
W-53 warhead
(cancelled 1958)
- Mark 90 nuclear bomb
(1952-1960)
- B53 nuclear bomb
(1962?1997; dismantled 2010?2011)
- B57 nuclear bomb
(1963?1993)
- B61 nuclear bomb
(1966?present)
- B77 nuclear bomb
(cancelled 1977)
- B83 nuclear bomb
(1983?present)
- B90 nuclear bomb
(cancelled 1991)
- Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator design program (2001?2005, cancelled)
- Nuclear artillery
shells
- 16-inch (406 mm)
- 11-inch (280 mm)
- W9
(1952?1957) gun-type
- W19
(1953?1956) gun-type, W9 derivative
- 8-inch (203 mm)
- W33
(1956?1980s) gun-type
- W75
(cancelled 1973)
- W79
(1981?1992)
- There were/are also nuclear warheads for the Army's 175 mm (6.9-inch) and 155 mm (6.1-inch) artillery.
- Atomic Demolition Munitions
- Missile and Rocket
warheads
- W4
for
SM-62 Snark
cruise missile
(cancelled 1951)
- W5
for
MGM-1 Matador
cruise missile (1954?1963)
- W7
for
MGR-1 Honest John
artillery rocket
(1954?1960),
MGM-5 Corporal
TBM
(1955?1964),
Nike Hercules
SAM
, and
BOAR
air-to-surface rocket (ASR) (1958?1960s)
- W8
for
SSM-N-8 Regulus
cruise missile, Gun-type (cancelled 1955)
- W12
for
RIM-8 Talos
SAM (cancelled 1955)
- W13
for
SM-62 Snark
cruise missile and
PGM-11 Redstone
SRBM
(cancelled 1954)
- W15
for
SM-62 Snark
cruise missile (cancelled 1957)
- W21
for
SM-64 Navaho
cruise missile (cancelled 1957)
- W25
for MB-1 "Ding Dong", later
AIR-2 Genie
AAR
(1957?1984)
- W27
for
SSM-N-8 Regulus
and
SSM-N-9 Regulus II
cruise missile (1958?1965)
- W28
for
AGM-28 Hound Dog
and
MGM-13 Mace
cruise missiles (1958?1976)
- W29 for
SM-64 Navaho
cruise missile,
PGM-11 Redstone
SRBM, and
SM-62 Snark
cruise missile (cancelled 1955)
- W30
for
RIM-8 Talos
SAM (1959?1979)
- W31
for
MGR-1 Honest John
artillery rocket (1961?1985),
Nike Hercules
SAM (1960s?1988)
- W34
for
Mk 101 Lulu
depth charge
,
Mark 45 ASTOR
torpedo
,
Mk 105 Hotpoint
bomb (1958?1976)
- W35
for
SM-65 Atlas
ICBM
,
HGM-25A Titan I
ICBM,
PGM-17 Thor
IRBM
, and
PGM-19 Jupiter
MRBM
(cancelled 1958)
- W37
(cancelled 1956)
- W38
for
SM-65 Atlas
ICBM and
HGM-25A Titan I
ICBM (1961?1965)
- W39
for
PGM-11 Redstone
SRBM (1958?1964)
- W40
for
MGM-18 Lacrosse
TBM,
CIM-10 Bomarc
SAM (1959?1972)
- W41
for
SM-64 Navaho
cruise missile (cancelled 1957)
- W42
for
MIM-23 Hawk
SAM,
AIM-47 Falcon
AAM
,
AAM-N-10 Eagle
AAM (cancelled 1961)
- W44
for
RUR-5 ASROC
SSM
(1961?1989)
- W45
for
MGR-3 Little John
artillery rocket,
RIM-2 Terrier
SAM, and
AGM-12 Bullpup
ASM
(1961?1969 (some 1988))
- XW-46
for
PGM-11 Redstone
SRBM and
SM-62 Snark
cruise missile (cancelled 1958)
- W47
for
UGM-27 Polaris
A-1 and A-2
SLBMs
(1960?1974)
- W49
for
PGM-19 Jupiter
MRBM (1959?1963) and
PGM-17 Thor
IRBM (1959?1963)
- W50
for
MGM-31 Pershing
SRBM, and
Hopi
ASR (1960?1990)
- XW-51
for various (program converted to
W54
in 1959)
- W52
for
MGM-29 Sergeant
TBM (1962?1977)
- W53
for
LGM-25C Titan II
ICBM (1962?1987)
- W54
for
Davy Crockett
recoilless rifle,
AIM-26 Falcon
AAM
, and
AIM-4 Falcon
AAM (1961?1972)
- W55
for
UUM-44 SUBROC
SSM (1965?1989)
- W56
for
LGM-30 Minuteman
I and II ICBMs (1963?1993)
- W58
for
UGM-27 Polaris
A-3 SLBM (1964?1982)
- W59
for
LGM-30 Minuteman
I ICBM and
GAM-87 Skybolt
ALBM
(1962?1969)
- W60
for
RIM-50 Typhon
SAM (cancelled 1963)
- W61
for
MGM-134 Midgetman
(cancelled 1992)
- W62
for
LGM-30 Minuteman
III ICBM, (1970?2010)
- W63
for
MGM-52 Lance
TBM (warhead cancelled 1966)
- W64
for
MGM-52 Lance
TBM (warhead cancelled 1964)
- W65
for
Sprint
ABM
(cancelled 1968)
- W66
for
Sprint
ABM (available 1970?1975)
- W67
for
UGM-73 Poseidon
SLBM and
LGM-30 Minuteman
III ICBM (cancelled 1967)
- W68
for
UGM-73 Poseidon
SLBM (1970?1991)
- W69
for
AGM-69 SRAM
ASM (1972?1990)
- W70
for
MGM-52 Lance
TBM (deployed 1973?1992)
- W71
for
LIM-49A Spartan
ABM (deployed 1974?1975; dismantled 1992)
- W72
for
AGM-62 Walleye
glide bomb
(1970?1979)
- W73
for
AGM-53 Condor
ASM (cancelled 1970)
- W76
for
UGM-96 Trident I
and
UGM-133 Trident II
SLBMs (1978?present)
- W78
for
LGM-30 Minuteman
III ICBM (1979?present)
- W80
for
AGM-86
,
AGM-129
,
BGM-109 Tomahawk
, and
AGM-181 LRSO
cruise missiles (1981?present)
- W81
for
RIM-67 Standard
ER SAM, based on B61 (cancelled 1986)
- W84
for
BGM-109G Gryphon
cruise missile (1983?1991)
- W85
for
Pershing II
MRBM and Pershing 1b SRBM (1983?1991)
- W86
for
Pershing II
MRBM Earth penetrating warhead option (cancelled 1980)
- W87
for
LGM-118 Peacekeeper
ICBM (1986?2005),
LGM-30 Minuteman
III ICBM (2007?present), and
LGM-35 Sentinel
ICBM (future)
- W88
for
UGM-133 Trident II
SLBM (1988?present)
- W89
for
AGM-131 SRAM II
ASM and
UUM-125 Sea Lance
SSM (cancelled 1991)
- W91
for
SRAM-T
ASM (cancelled 1991)
- Reliable Replacement Warhead
(RRW1) design program (2004?2008, cancelled)
- W93
for
UGM-133 Trident II
SLBM (proposed)
[1]
See also
Enduring Stockpile
.
Common nuclear primaries
[
edit
]
Several American weapons designs share common components. These include publicly identified models listed below.
Soviet Union/Russia
[
edit
]
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
, 3 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.
- Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles
- Various
tactical nuclear weapons
including "
suitcase bombs
" (RA-115 or RA-115-01 as examples)
United Kingdom
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
France is said to have an arsenal of 350 nuclear weapons stockpiled as of 2002.
- Bombs
- Warheads (and missiles)
China
[
edit
]
China is believed to possess around 250 nuclear weapons, but has released very little information about the contents of its arsenal.
- Tests:
- Ballistic Missiles:
- Cruise Missiles
India
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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]
Pakistan
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Inside America's newly revealed nuclear ballistic missile warhead of the future"
. 24 February 2020
. Retrieved
2020-10-18
.
- ^
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.
- ^
"de beste bron van informatie over Nuclear weapons. Deze website is te koop!"
. atomicforum.org
. Retrieved
2012-08-14
.
- ^
a
b
"R-7 - SS-6 SAPWOOD Russian / Soviet Nuclear Forces"
. Fas.org
. Retrieved
2012-08-14
.
- ^
a
b
"R-16 / SS-7 SADDLER - Russian / Soviet Nuclear Forces"
. Fas.org
. Retrieved
2012-08-14
.
- ^
Kristensen, Hans M.; Norris, Robert S. (5 July 2017).
"Indian nuclear forces, 2017"
.
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
.
73
(4): 205.
Bibcode
:
2017BuAtS..73d.205K
.
doi
:
10.1080/00963402.2017.1337998
.
- ^
"India's Nuclear Weapons Program"
.
nuclearweaponarchive.org
. Retrieved
26 June
2012
.
- ^
"India's and Pakistan's Fissile Material and Nuclear Weapons Inventories, end of 1999"
. Institute for Science and International Security
. Retrieved
26 June
2012
.
- ^
Normark, Magnus, Anders Lindblad, Anders Norqvist, Bjorn Sandstrom and Louise Waldenstrom. "Israel and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities." Swedish Defence Research Agency FOI-R--1734--SE December 2005 <
"Israel and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities - Swedish Defence Research Agency"
. Archived from
the original
on 2007-07-07
. Retrieved
2007-10-20
.
>
- ^
The Samson option: Israel's nuclear arsenal and American foreign policy
, Hersh, Seymour M., New York, Random House, 1991,
ISBN
0-394-57006-5
- ^
"Middle East | Israel 'has 150 nuclear weapons'
"
.
BBC News
. 2008-05-26
. Retrieved
2012-08-14
.
- ^
"Israel 'has 150 nuclear weapons'",
BBC News Online
May 28, 2008
- ^
"Nuclear Weapons: Who Has What at a Glance"
.
Arms Control Association
. ACA
. Retrieved
23 April
2019
.
- ^
"Global nuclear weapons"
.
sipri
. SIPRI
. Retrieved
13 June
2019
.
- ^
"North Korea could have fuel for 48 nuclear weapons by 2015"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. 20 August 2012
. Retrieved
8 November
2012
.
- ^
"North Korea Unveils Tactical Nuclear Warheads for First Time"
.
- ^
"[映像] '火山-31' 戰術核彈頭 電擊 公開한 北韓…7次 核實驗 臨迫했나?"
. March 28, 2023.
- ^
"北韓, 戰術核彈頭 電擊 公開…김정은 "武器級 核物質 擴大"
"
. March 28, 2023.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Holloway, David,
Stalin and the Bomb,
New Haven & London,
Yale University Press
, 1994,
ISBN
0-300-06056-4
.
- Zaloga, Steven J.,
The Kremlin's Nuclear Sword
Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002,
ISBN
1-58834-007-4
.
- Hansen, Chuck.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons
. Arlington, Texas, Areofax, Inc., 1988.
ISBN
0-517-56740-7
.
- Gibson, James N.
Nuclear Weapons of the United States,
Altglen, PA, Schiffer Publishing, 1996,
ISBN
978-0-7643-0063-9
.
- Cochran, Thomas, Arkin, William, Hoenig, Milton "Nuclear Weapons Databook, Volume I, U.S. Nuclear Forces and Capabilities," Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ballinger Pub. Co., 1984,
ISBN
0-88410-173-8
.
- Hansen, Chuck, "
Swords of Armageddon
" (CD-ROM & download available). PDF. 2,600 pages, Sunnyvale, California, Chucklea Publications, 1995, 2007.
ISBN
978-0-9791915-0-3
(2nd Ed.)
External links
[
edit
]
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V bomber force
(1955?1993)
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missiles
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bomb casings
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warheads
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Blue Streak
(1960, cancelled)
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Polaris
(1968?1996)
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missiles
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warheads
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Trident
(1994?present)
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Other cancelled projects
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Strategic missiles
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Pre-strategic missiles
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Nuclear warheads
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Related subjects
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