US Air Force Museum - Cold War - Convair B-36J Peacemaker / 09 MK-53 Thermonuclear Bomb
Bill Maloney
2/3/2007

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09 MK53 Thermonuclear Bomb

09 MK-53 Thermonuclear Bomb

Mk 53 Thermonuclear Bomb:

Length: 12 feet, 6 inches
Diameter: 4 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 8,900lbs
Weight of Fissionable Plutonium:
Explosive Yield: 9 Megatons
Configuration: Uranium (oralloy) implosion bomb primary stage, lithium deuteride second stage
Delivery Method: Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing B-47 Stratojet, Convair B-58 Hustler, airburst or ground contact fuse retarded by 3 parachutes
Est. # of Mk 53 Nuclear Weapons Produced: 350
Production Date: 1952-1965, still in USAF inventory