W56 warhead
E861281
The W56 warhead is a high-yield thermonuclear warhead developed by the United States during the Cold War, primarily deployed on Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | thermonuclear warhead ⓘ |
| classification | ICBM warhead ⓘ |
| compatibleReentryVehicle |
Mk-11 reentry vehicle
ⓘ
Mk-11C reentry vehicle ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| deliverySystem |
ballistic missile
ⓘ
intercontinental ballistic missile ⓘ |
| deployedWarheadCountPeak | over 1000 units ⓘ |
| deploymentMode | single-warhead ICBM ⓘ |
| deploymentPlatformType | land-based ICBM ⓘ |
| deploymentRole | strategic nuclear deterrent ⓘ |
| deploymentStart | 1963 ⓘ |
| designedAt | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| designedBy | Lawrence Radiation Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| designFeatures |
miniaturized thermonuclear design
ⓘ
reentry vehicle integration ⓘ |
| designYield |
1.2 megatons of TNT
ⓘ
approximately 1.2 Mt ⓘ |
| developedBy | United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| developedFor |
LGM-30 Minuteman
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
intercontinental ballistic missile ⓘ |
| enteredService | mid-1960s ⓘ |
| era | Cold War ⓘ |
| followedBy |
W78 warhead
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
W87 warhead ⓘ |
| generation | second-generation thermonuclear design ⓘ |
| governingProgram | US nuclear weapons stockpile ⓘ |
| guidance | none (carried by missile guidance system) ⓘ |
| nuclearWeaponType | two-stage thermonuclear ⓘ |
| precededBy | earlier high-yield ICBM warheads ⓘ |
| propulsion | none (payload only) ⓘ |
| purpose | strategic deterrence against Soviet Union ⓘ |
| retired | 1993 ⓘ |
| retirementPeriod | early 1990s ⓘ |
| safetyFeatures | enhanced nuclear safety mechanisms ⓘ |
| serviceBranch | United States Air Force ⓘ |
| status |
no longer deployed
ⓘ
retired ⓘ |
| strategicUse |
counterforce targeting
ⓘ
countervalue targeting ⓘ |
| treatyStatus | removed from deployment prior to New START ⓘ |
| usedBy | Strategic Air Command NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedOnWeaponSystem |
LGM-30A Minuteman I
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
LGM-30B Minuteman I NERFINISHED ⓘ LGM-30F Minuteman II NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| warheadFamily | US strategic thermonuclear warheads ⓘ |
| yieldClass | high-yield ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.