W45 (nuclear warhead)

Internal components of the Medium Atomic Demolition Munition setup. W54 warhead is to the right of the casing.

The W45 was a multipurpose American nuclear warhead developed in the early 1960s, first built in 1962 and fielded in some applications until 1988.

The W45 was 11.5 inches in diameter and 27 inches long, with a weight of 150 pounds. Various versions had yields of 0.5, 1, 5, 8, 10, and 15 kilotons.

The W45 was designed at the Livermore branch of the University of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL), now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

The W45 was one of the more prolific warhead designs. Applications included:

• Little John SSM
• Terrier SAM
• Medium Atomic Demolition Munition or MADM
• Bullpup ASM

See also

• List of nuclear weapons
• RIM-2 Terrier
• Medium Atomic Demolition Munition
• AGM-12 Bullpup

External links

• Allbombs.html list of all US nuclear warheads at nuclearweaponarchive.org