The W76 is an American thermonuclear warhead, designed for use on the UGM-96 Trident I submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and subsequently moved to the UGM-133 Trident II as Trident I was phased out of service. The first variant, the W76 mod 0 (W76-0) was manufactured from 1978 to 1987. It was gradually replaced by the W76 mod 1 (W76-1) between 2008 and 2018, completely replacing the Mod 0 in the active stockpile. In 2018, it was announced that some Mod 1 warheads would be converted to a new low-yield W76 mod 2 (W76-2) version. The first Mod 2 warheads were deployed in late 2019.
Key facts
- Weapon.name
- W76
- Weapon.image
- W76.gif
- Weapon.image_size
- 300
- Weapon.caption
- The W76 warhead and Mk-4 re-entry vehicle (cutaway diagram) – Los Alamos National Labs image
- Weapon.type
- Nuclear weapon
- Weapon.is_explosive
- yes
- Weapon.service
- 1978–present
- Weapon.used_by
- United StatesUnited Kingdom (see Trident Nuclear Program)
- Weapon.designer
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Weapon.design_date
- W76-0: 1973–1978W76-2: 2018
- Weapon.manufacturer
- Pantex Plant
- Weapon.production_date
- W76-0: 1978–1987 (full production)W76-1: 2008-2018 (LEP)W76-2: 2018-FY2024
- Weapon.number
- ~3,400
- Weapon.variants
- 3
- Weapon.length
- 1300 mm
- Weapon.diameter
- 400 mm
- Weapon.detonation
- Contact, airburst
- Weapon.yield
- 100 kt (W76-0)90 kt (W76-1)5–7 kt (W76-2)
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
5 sectionsContents
- History
- Design
- See also
- References
- External links
The W76 is an American thermonuclear warhead, designed for use on the UGM-96 Trident I submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and subsequently moved to the UGM-133 Trident II as Trident I was phased out of service. The first variant, the W76 mod 0 (W76-0) was manufactured from 1978 to 1987. It was gradually replaced by the W76 mod 1 (W76-1) between 2008 and 2018, completely replacing the Mod 0 in the active stockpile. In 2018, it was announced that some Mod 1 warheads would be converted to a new low-yield W76 mod 2 (W76-2) version. The first Mod 2 warheads were deployed in late 2019.
==History== The warhead was initially manufactured from 1978 to 1987 and designed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. It was initially fitted to the Trident I SLBM system, but after the Rocky Flats plant where its successor the W88 was being made was shut down in 1989 after a production run of only 400 warheads, it was decided to transfer W76 warheads to Trident II.