W76 thermonuclear warhead

E377962

The W76 thermonuclear warhead is a U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead designed for strategic nuclear deterrence, featuring a compact design and variable-yield capabilities.

All labels observed (7)

Label Occurrences
W76 warhead 3
W76 thermonuclear warhead canonical 2
W76 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf U.S. nuclear warhead
thermonuclear warhead
approximateLength about 1.7 meters
approximateWeight around 160 kilograms
armsControlContext referenced in U.S. nuclear posture reviews
compactDesign yes
compatibleMissile Trident II D5 missile
surface form: UGM-133 Trident II

Trident I C4
surface form: UGM-96 Trident I
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
deliveryEnvironment submerged launch from SSBNs
deployedAs multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle payload
deployedOn Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine
surface form: Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines
deploymentPlatform submarine-launched ballistic missile
designedBy Los Alamos Laboratory
surface form: Los Alamos National Laboratory
designedFor second-strike capability
designType two-stage thermonuclear
deterrenceConcept assured retaliation
developmentStart early 1970s
enteredLifeExtensionProgram early 2000s
era Cold War
governingAgency National Nuclear Security Administration
guidanceContext MIRV reentry vehicle payload
lifeExtensionProgramName W76-1 LEP
modernizedVariant W76 thermonuclear warhead self-linksurface differs
surface form: W76-1

W76 thermonuclear warhead self-linksurface differs
surface form: W76-2
operator United States Navy
originalVariant W76-0
purposeOfW76-2 provide lower-yield strategic option
reentryVehicleType Mk 4 reentry vehicle
role strategic nuclear deterrent
safetyFeatures enhanced safety and security in W76-1
serviceEntry around 1978
late 1970s
status in active service
storageAndAssemblySite Pantex Plant
strategicImportance primary U.S. sea-based nuclear warhead for decades
strategicRole countervalue and counterforce targeting
successorOrComplement W88 thermonuclear warhead
treatyRelevance subject to New START counting rules
usedOnWeaponSystem Trident I C4
Trident II D5 missile
surface form: Trident II D5
user Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine
surface form: U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines
variableYieldCapability implemented via different variants (W76-0, W76-1, W76-2)
W76-1Yield approximately 90 kilotons of TNT
W76-2Yield low-yield (single-digit kilotons)
warheadFamily U.S. Trident SLBM warheads
yield approximately 100 kilotons of TNT

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Trident II D5 missile warheadModel W76 thermonuclear warhead
subject surface form: Trident II D5
U.S. thermonuclear weapons program developedWeapon W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76 warhead
Nuclear Weapons Life Extension Programs appliesTo W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76 warhead
Nuclear Weapons Life Extension Programs includes W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76-1 Life Extension Program
Nuclear bombs of the United States hasPart W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76 warhead
Nuclear bombs of the United States hasPart W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76-1 warhead
Trident I C4 warheadModel W76 thermonuclear warhead
this entity surface form: W76
W76 thermonuclear warhead modernizedVariant W76 thermonuclear warhead self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: W76-1
W76 thermonuclear warhead modernizedVariant W76 thermonuclear warhead self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: W76-2
W88 thermonuclear warhead successorTo W76 thermonuclear warhead