W33 (nuclear warhead)
American nuclear artillery shell / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The W33 (also known as the Mark 33, T317 and M422[1]) was an American nuclear artillery shell designed for use in the 8-inch (203 mm) M110 howitzer and M115 howitzer.
W33 | |
---|---|
Type | Nuclear artillery |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 1955–1992 |
Used by | United States Army |
Specifications | |
Mass | 243 pounds (110 kg) |
Blast yield | 5 to 10 kilotonnes of TNT (21 to 42 TJ) |
A total of 2,000 W33 projectiles were produced, with the first production warheads entering the stockpile in 1957. The W33 remained in service until 1992. The warhead used enriched uranium (code named oralloy) as its nuclear fissile material and could be used in two different yield configurations. This required the assembly and insertion of different pits, with the amount of fissile materials used controlling whether the destructive yield was low or high. The highest-yield version of the W33 may have been a boosted fission weapon.[2][3]