W69

The W69 was a United States nuclear warhead used in AGM-69 SRAM Short-Range Attack Missiles. The SRAM used a single W69 nuclear warhead with a variable yield of 17 kilotons as a fission weapon, or 210 kilotons as a fusion weapon with tritium boost enabled. The aircrew could turn a switch on the Class III command to select the destructive yield required.

It was designed in the early 1970s and entered the U.S. stockpile in 1972. It remained in service until 1992, with the last units being retired in 1996. About 1,500 were produced.

By 1999, all the warhead's various parts had been dismantled. The high explosives were removed from around the plutonium pits at the Pantex Plant and the pits were put into secure storage. Non-nuclear components were taken to the Savannah River Site and the National Security Campus. The canned subassemblies were moved to Y-12 National Security Complex, where recovery of the uranium began in 2012 and was completed in 2016.[1]

The W69 warhead was one of many derived from the B61 nuclear bomb design.

Specifications

The W69 had a diameter of 15 inches (380 mm) and was 30 inches (760 mm) long. It weighed 275 pounds (125 kg). It had a yield of between 17-200 kilotons. [2]

See also

References
  1. Y-12 National Security Complex Completes W69 Dismantlement at NNSA press release. Accessed February 28, 2016
  2. List of all US Nuclear Weapons at The Nuclear Weapon Archive. Accessed July 10, 2007
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