Operation Grenadier Explained

See also: List of nuclear weapons tests of the United States.

Grenadier
Country:United States
Test Site:NTS Area 12, Rainier Mesa; NTS Area 19, 20, Pahute Mesa; NTS, Areas 1–4, 6–10, Yucca Flat
Period:1984–1985
Number Of Tests:16
Test Type:underground shaft, tunnel
Max Yield:150ktTNT
Next Series:Operation Charioteer

Operation Grenadier was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1984–1985 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Fusileer series and preceded the Operation Charioteer series.

United States' Grenadier series tests and detonations
- !style="background:#ffdead;" Name [1] !style="background:#efefef;" Date time (UT) !style="background:#ffdead;" Local time zone[2] [3] !style="background:#efefef;" Location[4] !style="background:#ffdead;" Elevation + height [5] !style="background:#efefef;" Delivery [6]
Purpose [7] !style="background:#efefef;" 		Device[8] !style="background:#ffdead;" Yield[9] !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable" Fallout[10] !style="background:#ffdead;" class="unsortable" References !style="background:#efefef;" class="unsortable" Notes - ! Vermejo 18:14:00.103 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U4r 37.0852°N -116.0537°W 1229m (4,032feet) – 350.22m (1,149.02feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Villita 16:40:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3ld 37°N -116.0182°W 1177m (3,862feet) – 372.2m (1,221.1feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Tierra 14:45:00.0 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U19ac 37.2813°N -116.3063°W 2118m (6,949feet) – 640m (2,100feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		B83Venting detected, 600Ci B83 proof test[11]
Minero 16:20:00.11 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3lt 37.0119°N -116.0457°W 1187m (3,894feet) – 244.8m (803.1feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Vaughn 16:31:00.1 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3lr 37.0581°N -116.0461°W 1211m (3,973feet) – 425.5m (1,396feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 100Ci - ! Cottage 18:30:00.082 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U8j 37.1799°N -116.0898°W 1362m (4,469feet) – 515m (1,690feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Hermosa 20:00:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U7bs 37.0948°N -116.0329°W 1251m (4,104feet) – 638.25m (2,094feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		The Soviet Union alleged that this test violated the Threshold Test Ban Treaty.[12] - ! Misty Rain 23:15:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U12n.17 37.2008°N -116.2081°W 2212m (7,257feet) – 388.6m (1,274.9feet) tunnel,
weapon effect 		Venting detected off site, 63Ci - ! Towanda 15:20:00.083 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U19ab 37.2534°N -116.3261°W 2085m (6,841feet) – 660.2m (2,166feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Salut 15:15:00.082 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U20ak 37.2478°N -116.49°W 1873m (6,145feet) – 608.08m (1,995.01feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 4Ci - ! Ville 17:30:00.088 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U4am 37.0883°N -116.0849°W 1250m (4,100feet) – 293.2m (961.9feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 0.1Ci - ! Maribo 18:03:00.08 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U2cs 37.1237°N -116.122°W 1352m (4,436feet) – 381m (1,250feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 4Ci - ! Serena 14:00:00.088 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U20an 37.2972°N -116.439°W 1942m (6,371feet) – 597m (1,959feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected, 3Ci - ! Cebrero 13:00:00.082 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U9cw 37.111°N -116.0153°W 1316m (4,318feet) – 183m (600feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		Venting detected - ! Chamita 16:25:00.09 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U3lz 37.0023°N -116.044°W 1181m (3,875feet) – 331.62m (1,087.99feet) underground shaft,
weapons development 		- ! Ponil 14:15:00.08 PST (–8 hrs)
NTS Area U7bv 37.0898°N -116.0026°W 1284m (4,213feet) – 364.8m (1,196.9feet) underground shaft,
weapons development

Notes and References

  1. The US, France and Great Britain have code-named their test events, while the USSR and China did not, and therefore have only test numbers (with some exceptions  - Soviet peaceful explosions were named). Word translations into English in parentheses unless the name is a proper noun. A dash followed by a number indicates a member of a salvo event. The US also sometimes named the individual explosions in such a salvo test, which results in "name1  - 1(with name2)". If test is canceled or aborted, then the row data like date and location discloses the intended plans, where known.
  2. To convert the UT time into standard local, add the number of hours in parentheses to the UT time; for local daylight saving time, add one additional hour. If the result is earlier than 00:00, add 24 hours and subtract 1 from the day; if it is 24:00 or later, subtract 24 hours and add 1 to the day. Historical time zone data obtained from the IANA time zone database.
  3. Web site: Time Zone Historical Database. iana.com. March 8, 2014.
  4. Rough place name and a latitude/longitude reference; for rocket-carried tests, the launch location is specified before the detonation location, if known. Some locations are extremely accurate; others (like airdrops and space blasts) may be quite inaccurate. "~" indicates a likely pro-forma rough location, shared with other tests in that same area.
  5. Elevation is the ground level at the point directly below the explosion relative to sea level; height is the additional distance added or subtracted by tower, balloon, shaft, tunnel, air drop or other contrivance. For rocket bursts the ground level is "N/A". In some cases it is not clear if the height is absolute or relative to ground, for example, Plumbbob/John. No number or units indicates the value is unknown, while "0" means zero. Sorting on this column is by elevation and height added together.
  6. Atmospheric, airdrop, balloon, gun, cruise missile, rocket, surface, tower, and barge are all disallowed by the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Sealed shaft and tunnel are underground, and remained useful under the PTBT. Intentional cratering tests are borderline; they occurred under the treaty, were sometimes protested, and generally overlooked if the test was declared to be a peaceful use.
  7. Include weapons development, weapon effects, safety test, transport safety test, war, science, joint verification and industrial/peaceful, which may be further broken down.
  8. Designations for test items where known, "?" indicates some uncertainty about the preceding value, nicknames for particular devices in quotes. This category of information is often not officially disclosed.
  9. Estimated energy yield in tons, kilotons, and megatons. A ton of TNT equivalent is defined as 4.184 gigajoules (1 gigacalorie).
  10. Radioactive emission to the atmosphere aside from prompt neutrons, where known. The measured species is only iodine-131 if mentioned, otherwise it is all species. No entry means unknown, probably none if underground and "all" if not; otherwise notation for whether measured on the site only or off the site, where known, and the measured amount of radioactivity released.
  11. Web site: The B83 Bomb . 2024-03-26 . nuclearweaponarchive.org.
  12. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1981–1988, Volume V, Soviet Union, March 1985–October 1986 - Office of the Historian. 2022-06-25. 1985-07-29.

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