Tactical nuclear weapons are designed for use in warfare on the battlefield, unlike strategic nuclear weapons that target large cities and military facilities. Examples include the M-388 Davy Crockett and the Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM), which had variable yields and were intended for use by ground troops or Navy Seals. Other tactical nuclear weapons, such as the B57 and Red Beard, were mounted on a chassis and launched from tactical aircraft. The British Blue Peacock nuclear mine project was ultimately scrapped due to political and ethical challenges.
Tactical nuclear weapons are relatively low-yield nuclear weapons intended for use on the battlefield in warfare. This is in contrast to strategic nuclear weapons, which are designed to target large cities and military facilities. Tactical nuclear weapons were purpose-built to prepare for a possible all-out war between the Soviet Union, the United States, and their respective allies.
An example of a tactical nuclear weapon is the M-388 Davy Crockett, a recoilless nuclear rifle with a payload of 76 pounds (34.5 kg), just 31 inches (78.7 cm) long with a diameter of 11 inches (28 cm ) at its widest point. The Davy Crockett was intended to be fired by ground troops on the opposing side in the midst of a battle. It used a “dial-a-yield” configuration, a variable yield that could be set between 10 and 20 tons, very low for a nuclear weapon, but quite significant by conventional weapons standards. Its yield was similar to the so-called “Mother of all bombs” developed by the US Army in 2003.
Another tactical nuclear weapon, a variant of the W54 warhead used for the Davy Crockett, was the Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM) variant. The SADM warhead was a backpack atomic bomb. It was to be used by a two-man team of Navy Seals or Marines, who would parachute into a target area, such as the port of an enemy country, set the bomb and a timer, then swim out to sea where they would be recovered by a submarine or high-speed surface vessel. After the team was out of harm’s way, the tactical nuke would be detonated and the target port would be annihilated. The SADM package also had a variable yield, but rose to a kiloton, about one-tenth the yield of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
Other tactical nuclear weapons, such as the American B57 nuclear bomb and the British Red Beard, were mounted on a chassis similar to a rocket or conventional bomb. These would have been launched from tactical aircraft and would have had a higher yield than the smaller W54 warhead devices.
Another tactical nuclear weapon, envisioned by the British, was the Blue Peacock nuclear mine. The idea was to plant numerous nuclear mines in the heart of Germany, leaving them armed and ready to explode in the event of another war involving Germany. Ultimately, it was decided that the political and ethical challenges posed by such an effort were too great, and the project was scrapped.
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