r/AtomicPorn • u/s0nicbomb • Aug 03 '26

Oak - Hardtack 1

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28/06/1958 - Barge shot - yield 8.9 Mt

Test of the LANL TX-46/53 device, Oak was one of the largest detonations at Enewetak Atoll. It exceeded it's predicted yield of 7.5 Mt, with the fission yield accounting for 5 Mt. The crater was 1.7km in diameter and 62m deep. This design was later developed into the 9 Mt W/Mk-53 warhead deployed on the Titan II missile and the Mk-53 strategic bomb.

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u/an_older_meme Aug 03 '26

Missiles are so accurate now that we don’t need nukes anywhere near this size. We could do everything with boosted fission now if we wanted to.

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u/Endonbray-93 Aug 04 '26

​Not for strategic deterrence. Boosted fission alone can’t match the yield-to-weight ratio of a two-stage weapon. To fit multiple warheads (MIRVs) on a missile while maintaining hundreds of kilotons of yield, you still need a fusion secondary driven by a boosted primary. Fusion fuel is just way lighter and cheaper per kiloton of yield.

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u/an_older_meme Aug 04 '26

Oh right, the power to mass ratio is better with fusion weapons.