W25 (nuclear warhead)

W25 nuclear warhead
W25 warhead being loaded onto an AIR-2 Genie rocket.
TypeNuclear weapon
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerLos Alamos National Laboratory
Designed1954 to 1956
ProducedMay 1957 to May 1960[1]
No. built3150[1]
Variants2
Specifications
Mass220 lb (100 kg)
Length26 in (660 mm)
Diameter17.25 in (438 mm)
Blast yield1.7 kilotonnes of TNT (7.1 TJ)[1]
Plumbbob John Nuclear Test, a live test of nuclear AIR-2A Genie rocket on July 19th 1957. Fired by a US Air Force F-89J over Yucca Flats Nuclear Test Site at an altitude of 15,000 feet (4.6 km).

The W25 was a small nuclear warhead that was developed by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for air-defense use. It was a fission device with a nominal yield of 1.7 kt.[1]

The W25 was used for the MB-1 "Ding Dong", an unguided air-to-air rocket used by US Northrop F-89 Scorpion, F-101 Voodoo, and F-106 Delta Dart interceptor aircraft, and Canadian CF-101 Voodoo aircraft, as part of NATO nuclear sharing.[2] The MB-1 entered service in 1957 and was eventually redesignated the AIR-2 Genie. Limited numbers were carried by Air National Guard F-106 aircraft until December 1984.[1][3]

  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference nukearc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Fact Sheet: Canada Overview". Nuclear Threat Initiative. Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022. The second nuclear delivery system deployed in Canada was the Genie air-to-air rocket. The Canadian CF-101 Voodoo interceptor aircraft could carry these rockets along with their 1.5 kiloton W25 warheads.
  3. ^ Roblin, Sebastien (11 January 2022). "These Fighters Once Carried Nuclear Rockets to Attack Soviet Bombers". National Interest. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.