W42 (nuclear warhead) explained
The W42 was an American nuclear fission weapon developed in 1957.
In December 1957 the Army requested the Atomic Energy Commission to develop a nuclear warhead for the HAWK low- to medium-altitude surface-to-air missile. In July 1958 the military characteristics were approved for the new warhead and the design released. Two months later the requirement for a HAWK with a nuclear warhead was cancelled.
The warhead was briefly considered for the AAM-N-10 Eagle long-range air-to-air missile[1]
The dimensions of the warhead were 13- wide by 18.5inches long. It weighed 75lb92lb and used a proximity fuze.
The project was cancelled in June 1961.
References
Bibliography
- Book: Hansen, Chuck . Chuck Hansen . Swords of Armageddon: U.S. Nuclear Weapons Development Since 1945 . 2007 . Chukelea Publications . Sunnyvale, California . PDF . CD-ROM & download available . 978-0-9791915-0-3 . 2 . 2015-08-28 . 2016-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161230020259/http://www.uscoldwar.com/ . live .
- Web site: Bendix AAM-N-10 Eagle. Parsch. Andreas. 6 January 2003. Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones. Designation-Systems. 2017-12-22. 2017-09-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20170917001322/http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/aam-n-10.html. live.
Notes and References
- Parsch 2003
