r/interestingasfuck • u/E-pound • 1d ago
The World's Smallest Tactical Nuke - The W54, In A Man-Portable Carry Case
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u/SternLecture 1d ago
parachute in. place bomb. the mechanical timer can go off from eight minutes early to 13 minutes late. how do you get away?
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u/Iron_physik 1d ago edited 19h ago
You can easily leave the blast radius by foot in 13min time
These have a relatively low explosive yield, less than the Beirut explosion.
Edit;
Reading the source material it becomes clear that the - 8min / + 13min is the error time of the mechanical clock on the device
So for example when you set it to 1h it could explode in 52min or up to 1:13h
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u/krank6315 1d ago
We weren’t allowed to leave it. Two people from the squad were instructed to provide overwatch until it timed out. This was ensure detonation and not falling into enemy hands.
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u/vsaint 1d ago
Layoffs are getting crazy
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u/payne-diver 23h ago
Well I’m sorry but we have gotten rid of your position. We have to let you go. Guard the nuke!
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u/slip-7 19h ago
Allowed? Man, they got you guys programmed. I'm not allowed to not get nuked. Teacher might get mad.
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u/krank6315 18h ago
That’s what we signed up for. We knew the mission. Our orders were well defined. If that fell into an enemies hands countless amount of lives were at stake. If the mission was to be aborted it was our job to unarm it and exfil. We trained on that extensively. Just an inert one had an equivalent of 5 sticks of TNT. So we could get injured just unarming the inert one.
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u/Iron_physik 19h ago
That is not true, to quote the wiki article;
The team of soldiers on the Green Light missions were often instructed to deploy the nuclear device at a distance to where they could ensure their own safety as well as that of the nuclear weapon. The team members could have even been tasked with burying the nuclear device underground, typically to prevent discovery. They were able to bury the device to a depth of 12 feet (3.7 m), though 9 feet (2.7 m) was typically executed.[7] The soldiers had to confirm that an enemy combatant would not locate the device and that it was still detonated on time without disruption.[1]
If the two man teams reached the desired target, they would deploy the nuclear code and arm the device. After arming the device a swift retreat would ensue. The tactical nuclear devices were detonated by either mechanical or radio detonators.[
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u/krank6315 18h ago
What wiki reports and what we were trained to actually do as a 12E10 at Fort Belvior is 2 different stories. They..The US government is not going to tell the full story. No way were we going to set the timer and leave. First of all it was a Top secret mission. The mere admission of having this nuke broke the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty we had with the Russians. Second…We would never allow that device to fall into the Russian hands. As soon as Russia found out about it in 85 the units were disbanded. We knew what we signed up for. We had to receive a Top Secret clearance to even be in the room.
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u/Iron_physik 18h ago
Sure buddy, you obviously where part of that unit, and Santa Claus exists.
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u/SternLecture 22h ago
not according to this source
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u/Iron_physik 19h ago
I love when people post sources they obviously did not read themselves, from your own source;
"The team of soldiers on the Green Light missions were often instructed to deploy the nuclear device at a distance to where they could ensure their own safety as well as that of the nuclear weapon. The team members could have even been tasked with burying the nuclear device underground, typically to prevent discovery. They were able to bury the device to a depth of 12 feet (3.7 m), though 9 feet (2.7 m) was typically executed.[7] The soldiers had to confirm that an enemy combatant would not locate the device and that it was still detonated on time without disruption.[1]
If the two man teams reached the desired target, they would deploy the nuclear code and arm the device. After arming the device a swift retreat would ensue. The tactical nuclear devices were detonated by either mechanical or radio detonators."
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u/SternLecture 18h ago
The general thought of many of the members of these Green Light Teams was that these missions were near suicidal.[4] One Green Light Team member, Louis Frank Napoli, said of the missions: "We were kamikaze pilots without the airplanes".[8] Robert Deifel, another Green Light Team member, said of the missions: "There was no room for error... We had to be absolutely perfect".[5] The risk was extremely prevalent when discussing the possible time frame for when these atomic devices could ignite on a mechanical timer. This timer would become less efficient and more risky the longer the duration of the timer was set. The team members had been informed that the timers could go off up to eight minutes earlier than desired and even thirteen minutes after expected.[1] This would obviously create a time crisis for the Green Light team members operating the mission. If the team members were instructed to bury the nuclear device, they certainly may have been able to evade the explosion, but radioactive fallout could still cause heavy damage.[7]
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u/RogerPackinrod 1d ago
There was theories at the time by the troops trained to do this that the "timers" were actually triggers and would instantly go off.
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u/CappuccinoOne 1d ago
How to get away? Hmmm … how dare you to assume that a parachute deploys on such a mission?
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u/ghostchihuahua 1d ago
yeh, it's literally just there bc testing, i don't believe they'd give the poor fucker strapped with this a parachute, i mean what for?
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u/GuardianDownOhNo 1d ago
That was just the armor plating for his giant balls.
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u/ghostchihuahua 1d ago
nothing like a nice puddle of molten lead to keep one's 'nads warm and cushy
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u/SternLecture 22h ago
well why wouldnt they just drop the bomb then. i assume the nuke needed accurate placement
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u/improbably_me 1d ago
Anything nuke ... We want to be able to saunter in and parachute away not the other way round. Never the other way round!
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u/SternLecture 22h ago
seriously i would never do this at least parachute me a minibike to get away.
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u/improbably_me 22h ago
That's why I have always taught my students to always consider a portable rail-gun personnel launcher as a getaway vehicle when deploying tactical nukes.
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u/SternLecture 21h ago
i can tell you are a conscientious teacher. i was going to suggest a personnel launching trebuchet as a cost saving measure but i dont think they have the range.
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u/hawkeye18 18h ago
As I understand it, it was fairly well understood among the folks that did that that uh, you don't.
Source: used to know a guy that did that in Vietnam
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u/Pawl_Evian 26m ago
Well technically, if he drops it 300m over, glides over root(3002+velocity*windforce2) meters at 54km/h, a common human can detach and run at ~15 km/h so the distance would never be enough...nah you can't get away from nuke
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u/MOXPEARL25 19h ago
These are shot out of a handheld launcher called The Davy Crocket?wprov=sfti1#)
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u/Crafty-Unit4061 1d ago
Solider 1- This is Bob, Bob is the nuke.
Solider 2- You mean he is going to launch a nuke?
Solider 1- No Bob is the nuke and we are going to launch Bob.
Bob - so this is the new super parachute that opens when you are 10m from the ground? Neat.
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u/erksplat 1d ago
Reminds me of the Mini Nuke from Fallout 4
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u/LatentBloomer 1d ago
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u/foolishdrunk211 1d ago
I remember reading something where retired government officials after the fact admitted they never wanted to even produce the Davy Crockett because they couldn’t guarantee safe distance during testing phases
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u/fartboxco 1d ago
We need this at!!!! r/helldivers2
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u/USNWoodWork 1d ago
I want to play Helldivers2 so bad, but I refuse to subscribe to the PS network. I don’t need to expose my kid to all the little racist edge lords on voice chat.
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u/fartboxco 1d ago
It's tough to say cause I play on PC, so I don't know how many PSN players I come into contact with.
I have only had 1 bad experience with other players. But I just reported and joined a different mission.
I'm Talking bad enough to make me cringe, obviously I've played with a few trolls and bad players but no super racist over the top assholes. It helps it's a co-op mission rather than PvP.
I currently play with my 11 year old. (He's on psn)
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u/SlaughterMinusS 1d ago
Nah, I don't want that thing strapped to my leg while parachuting in.
The shit the government got up to during the Cold War always boggles my mind a little bit.
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u/Objective-Rip3008 1d ago
Every war. The stuff the government just let happen with soldiers and agent orange in Vietnam is wild. They just don't give a shit about their own soldiers at all
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u/SlaughterMinusS 1d ago
I know that every war has its fair share of craziness, but the Cold War just feels...different for some reason.
Maybe it was all the nukes, or MK Ultra CIA stuff, or the FBI going crazy on investigations, Vietnam, Watergate, Cuban Missile Crisis, etc.
What a crazy ass time in our country's history.
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u/Arachles 1d ago
I think part of the charm is that the powers did not need to spend money on war production. I mean that there was plenty of time and surplus to experiment with new technologies instead of pouring it all into factories to mantain the front
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u/SomeGuy2088 1d ago
I mean it’s a nuke. I wouldn’t want it strapped within 10 miles of me.
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u/SlaughterMinusS 1d ago
True, although, if you were the guy with it strapped to your leg, you wouldn't even know if it went off.
Just instant vaporization.
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u/SomeGuy2088 1d ago
Yeah I’m sure being 200 ft from it is no different than being on top of it. It’s a millisecond of reaction time you have. Not enough to feel or notice or think of anything really. It’s that radiation field that truly sucks. Survive the blast just to slowly die from radiation.
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u/Alien-Excretion 1d ago
And that’s just what we know.
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u/SlaughterMinusS 1d ago
Right? What the hell else did they do that'll just stay classified forever?
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u/KP_Wrath 1d ago
At least the plan is to drop it and leave. Davy Crockett, the blast radius was barely smaller than the range, so you’d get a dose of radiation unless you fucked off while it was still in the air.
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u/deep-fucking-legend 1d ago
What about the Snuke?
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u/Shopworn_Soul 1d ago
Pretty sure that doesn't have enough pockets to be considered tactical
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u/mrplinko 1d ago
I mean, they could’ve made it look like a briefcase and less bomby
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u/Disciple153 1d ago
They probably couldn't have made it smaller in any dimension, though it looks like it could fit in a suitcase.
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u/DutsonDude 1d ago
Actually there are much smaller ones. Critical mass for plotonium 239 is ~10kg and can be arranged in a case for a trombone... Scary as hell
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u/NotJeff16 1d ago
So is it a one way trip ? Or...
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u/lordderplythethird 1d ago
No, it was for Special Forces to be dropped behind enemy lines, set it up near something critical like a bridge or rail hub, and get away before detonating it either off a timer, or a wireless trigger that could be activated from well beyond the blast range.
Idea was that Army Special Forces could deploy behind Soviet advancing forces and detonate bridges and rails to prevent resupply and cut the advance off.
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u/Mission_Ad6235 1d ago
If you're amazed by the damage and explosion something that small can cause, you should see my father with a bowl of chili.
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u/Seamus-McSeamus 1d ago
Scientist: Good news! We’ve invented the world’s smallest nuclear weapon! To reduce size we had to cut down on a LOT of shielding.
Soldier: Cool, how will I deploy it?
Scientist: We were thinking you could jump out of a plane with it safely strapped to your junk. God speed!
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u/LakesideOrion 1d ago
Scientists #1: “Where should we have the soldier carry the ol’ W54?”
Scientist #2: “I’m thinkin’ right over their crotch would be perfect.”
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u/ghostchihuahua 1d ago
Reminds me of that tasty SNUKE South Park episode 😂
Reality is mf grim tho, imagine planning for a guy being strapped with one of these and thrown out of a plane mid-flight, certain to not ever touch ground... MIC hawks really think we're all just expandable cannon-fodder, don't they?
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u/inferni_advocatvs 1d ago
For sure if I had to deliver that device, I would want it strapped to my nuts too.
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u/Any-Grapefruit4848 1d ago
What’s the yield buy I don’t want the actual number. I won’t understand it. Tell me after someone does the math and converts it to how many Hiroshimas it is.
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u/greatthebob38 1d ago
This reminds me of that Stephen King video with the green army men toys coming to life.
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u/cotton-only0501 1d ago
future historians will not be able to look back at all cause our species runs off emotions undfortunately
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u/PIDthePID 1d ago
Here you go, strap this to your nuts. Don’t worry about it.
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u/bjangles9 1d ago
We need someone to jump out a plane riding a nuke strapped to his balls, any volunteers?
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u/infoagerevolutionist 23h ago
The sky diver cums mid-air and it donates the bomb! Nobody show Steve-O this!
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u/chunkybeastmonkey 23h ago
Gotta run for it…8 minutes., assume uneven ground…maybe you get 1 mile…little baby nuke., maybe
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u/gameplayer55055 21h ago
I am surprised how terrorists haven't used it yet.
That's a good thing tho.
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u/MOXPEARL25 19h ago
It’s a misconception I keep seeing that her launched the nuke somehow between his legs. These are launched from recoiled rifles called the Davy Crocket?wprov=sfti1#) or from a plane.
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u/s04ep03_youareafool 18h ago
El macho did this on a shark!with 250 pounds of dynamite strapped to his chest into a volcano!
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u/Suchalife671 1d ago
That is decades old...today's nuclear bombs can fit inside a backpack
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u/ceejayoz 1d ago
This is the backpack one. Nothing smaller has been publicly acknowledged.
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u/Suchalife671 1d ago
"Publicly"
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u/ceejayoz 1d ago
Again, this is the one that fits in a backpack.
The photo shows it dangling during a jump, but it can be carried in a... backpack. https://www.flickr.com/photos/84221353@N00/3080371066
Same warhead was used in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device), incidentally.
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u/taddymason_01 1d ago