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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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PART III - WEAPONS QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT TO THE JOINT COKMIWEE ON ATOMIC ENERGY Note by the Secretery Attached for your consideretion by the Commission during the week of June 3, 1957, in connection with AZ 129/75, is Progress Report. Part II - Special Nucleer 142teriels is being
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1. Seventy percent of the weapons scheduledror production durinc fiacueer 1957 were produced qfd delivered to stockrile,_.-__V-..---_ .-_--__ !?‘:I>~‘rfYJ Tritium production is sufficient to meet gas bocsting requirements for weapons during this period, 2, Initial units of the improved, light-weight version of February, enci production req\iirements for the Class C thermonuclear bomb (i4ark15) were completed in February. 3. Production requirements for emergency capability units for use with the Air Force 1*3-l air-to-air rocket, :;cre met in December 1956, and deliveries v.-eremade to the Department of Defense in January and February. _-r__.rr-T
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DELE'TKD Production of XV-25 warheads of stockpile quality Is scheduled to begin in the April-June quarter. 4. Retirement of the Class A thermonuclear weapon ib!ark17) began in January. WEAPONS DESIGN AND DEVELOPI*IENT New Development Programs 5. A feasibility study :3as completed_and a development program was established for the .-W Class 3 thermonuclear 6. A joint program with the Navy was euthorized for the development of a laydown weapon DEL5TE.D using t'he Lulu warhead (X/-34), 17 inches in diaxter, xeighing 330 p0undsG;EEL‘L.D 7. A development program \:a$ esteblished for a modification of the c1ass D thermonuclear bomb (TX-23), 20 inchas in diameter, provide a capability of in-flight selection for either free-fall
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8. All other development programs included In Table 1 of Part III of the December 31, 1956, Program Status Report wre continuing in the development phase on March 31. A requirement was received In March from DOD for the development of a class B thermonuclear bomb included as TX-36Yz-XZ in Table 1 of the December report. This bomb will. not be gas boosted and the designation is changed to TX-~GY~-X~. 9. The operational period began I&arch 15 rather than April 1 as formerly planned, in order to give the Test Nanager .’ operational control at least fifteen days before the first safety 10. Twenty-t:Jo test shots, included in the following and continue through September 10. Ik. James E.-_ Reeves of the .qlbuqlJerque Operations Office was appointed Test Kanager. Gper a.tl onal safety criteria are basically the same as those for 0 pcr;ltior, TZ.AFOTheld in 1955. Particular effort is being made to red:Jce the fallout hazard, A reduction in expected fallout is to ‘be accomplished by maximum utilization of balloons for shots / (about ten) in lieu of touers, increase in to!:cr height,, and operation. About 2,500 megacuries are espected. This is approzimataly half the total fallout of the highest pre.r’ious operation in IIeved2, and 32 percer,t less than for TSAFGT. 11. Feasibility tests of the balloon suspension system have been successfully Carried out at the Nevada Test Site and these tests ~111 continue until the test series begins in order that operational teci.r:iques may be refined.
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12, About seven safety tests (not listed In Table 1) kre Five one-point safety tests, in which a device uill be detonated by use of only one detonator in order to simulate a “one-point” detonation of the type which could occur In an accidental crash, fire,.or similar accident, The purpose of these tests is to determine whether any nuclear yield would result from accidental Two safety tests for determining pluton5um hazards the sealed-pit implosion vlarheaq DEU~Y?JJ and (2) burning of plutonium. 13. Preliminary plans are being made for Operation I-,ARIYl?ACK, scheduled for the spring of 1958, at the Eni~etok Proving *ves established, and Dr. Alvin C, Graves of the Los Alamcs Scientific Laboratory \Jas appointed Chairman. 14. Cdnstruction was started on initial phases of the January-fIarch quarter in the construction of Ijearons fecilitier for the manufacture and assembly of’ >5~.&__ jnuclear 16. The construction of facilities at Oak Ridge for the nroduction of uranium 235 DEErEI) x23 31 percent complete at the end of Hrrch 2s compared with 26 percent scheduled, *~i%is t%XiZs successfully conducted on April 24, 1957.
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17. All facilities at Rocky Flats for the production’of plutonium 239 and uranium 235 DUEI’m were completed for beneficial occupancy at the end of March except the final shell fabrication building, This building,is expected to be completed by the middle of June and the only remaining major piece of equipment, a large rolling and forming mill, is expected to be installed before September. 18, The tritium-deuterium gas packaging plant atsavannah River was 52 percent complete versus 62 percent scheduled at the end of Narch. Plant operations are expected to begin in the final assembly of DE&&g components, Yeas 39 percent cwplete versus 41 percent scheduled it the end of March. Adverse r:eat’:?er conditions slowed progress on the project somewhat and the target date for completion of the first unit was postponed from April 6 20. Full-scale production facilities for the manufacture of external initiators (XR units) at the General Electric Panellas Plant in-Florida were completed in January. This plant Vias ,designed and constructed and is being operated by the General Electric Company under subcontract from the Sandia Corporaticn, The origir,al Letter of Intent authorized the compar.;r to fir.ar.ce about $3,000,000, which uould pay for site acquisition and tha construction of facilities necessary for a normal light manufac twin g plant, and stated that the AZ would finance an equel eno>Lqt, ~:hich would provida for the construction of e_cecial facilities suc:h as avers ized air ccnditicning and utilities necessary for production of the XR units. The L-otter also provided for the Commission’s cp tion to purchase the plant and I.- facilities fron the company,
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21. The Commission decided to exercise its option.to purchase, and at the end of March steps were being taken to acquire the land for the AEC bj the c, S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the AEC audit of the Company's plant expenditures was under way. ComLletion of the audit and AEC inspection and acceptance of the plant facilities will permit the actual transfer to be plant and site finalized. It is believed that the costs of the will be approximately $5,735,000.