DocJax

Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Memo, Subject: AEC Post Redwing Weapon Development Program (Deleted)

Dated
Sep 11, 1956
Document type
Correspondence
Length
8 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16166608 · public domain

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

Page 2

Bav Olata A - Jte 1959 * latlaated OAD repraaanla the Beat available aatiaetta aa of SeptaaBer 1956 Baaed en correal atatua ef reaeereh aad derelopaeat aad foil ecele leallac required* Soae adjoataenta la procraa aagr Be poaalBle taaed en farther DOt1 'rteva recardlas Ve Bellera that the foregoing tabulation repree<mta ttie Beat ef the DOD* It auat Be eaxfcaelsed that ^e CAD*a ahem are tboee uhldh appear to Be achievable at thla time* SatuaalXy* theaa 0AD*e alll Be eabject to ^taage ehould potalble Breekthreuiha eaour la the a late ef the art* ahould vnforeaeeaBle dlffleoltlea Be enoountered la development* or If ehangea la dealgn criteria are needed* Va mould expect the aoclear teata eontaaplated for 1957 And 1958 to aaalat la cryatalllslnc or Beeh ef the veapon prograae Hated In the feregolng tabalatioa la diacueaed Belovt tlflc laboratory (2AS1) mill provide the Initial earheada

Page 3

BEST AVAILABLE COPY baood, larfoly. but aot ontlrolj, oa tho ozpootatlon that tho UBM, aad poooibly tbo 1CBN* vlll grov la payload oarryiaf oapaelty. If this ohould proro to bo truo, than, for oxaaplot tba XJ^27oould ba eomrartad into AEHBH 2200bo aajor laproitMaut la ttxa yiold to volibt ratio of aaibaada la tha 1600-pooad olaaa la aapoetod oa tho baala of praoaatly aad It la plaaaod to toat thalr offloaoy la Oporatloa HARDTACK la tha Bprlag of 1958* 2* UMifti fhla aarhaad vlll bo applloablo to both BOKABC aad UClOfSS vlth aa 040 of January 1959. doat Ttpoa a toat ahot planaod eurrontly for Oporatloa HIEDTACK la dprlod 1958. Thla darolepBoat vlll bo alaod at a 10*000 pouad total vai^t bomb, aad althouih tha yiold aftalnablo vlll aot bo kaova dafinitely uatll after Oporatloa HARDTACK, It la ballavod that a yield of M||Hpvlll bo adllovod. It la planned to atudy for about^ftWrJto1 falx aoatea the fueetloa of vhat la the optlana dooica for vaapona la thla alto range. Aaong th^aneolfl^aoter^^b^tudled DlUHHV poatlble eharaoteflotloe of a oloaa vara loa. HaaoOi It appbara that the ootabllahnoat of fine allltary ra^ulreaaata • Including guidance oa another a conventional er a oloaa verelon la doolrod* vlll aot be aeoataary until b. 10-12 Inch varhead (all arelleatlona) t Our atudy of thla varhaad aad lie applleatlona haa dad leated tea aood for at laaat too eoperate devalopaoat prograae. tpeolfleally, one prograa met produce aa lapaot re a latent varhead for tee AJBOO applloatloa* iddle tee other prograa ohooild load to a varhead vhleh* all non-lapaot realatent applleatlona alnoa tea varloua yield

Page 4

BEST AVAILABLE COPY tartlauUrly la mao lor prodnslt* Mgr roqxxlro toao rarlatloa 1 aoa-iapaol rotltlaal wariiaad procxaat aay It rtqulrtd. Should Ihlt pram It Vt Iht eatt. only tat ata-iapael malttaal «ar> htad oaa bt aadt arallablt oa Iht Oelebtr 1959 OAD ladloaltd. ) fht OAD for Iht tlhtr aoa-lapaot rttitlaal aarhtad voold ham j It bt dtltraiatd al a laltr dalt. Siaot 11 It aol kaova ‘ 5* gtv Clatt At fhlt procraa btart a tlott rtttablanct It Iht Ktv Clatt B procraa. Acala, Iht dtmlopatal of Ihlt vtapta vlll dtptad apoa a itit Aoi plaantd turrtally for Oporatloa HAHDEACC la Iht Bprlac of 1958* Iht tbjtcllm af Ihlt pro* craa It a 25«000-pooad total vel^ht boab, aad althouch Iht yiold allalaablt vlll aot bt kaova doflaittly natll aflt: bt aohltmd. It it plaantd to ttadgr for about four to tlx aoatht tho ^utotloa of vfaat it Iht opt Urea Attica for vtapoat la Ihlt tltt raact. Aaoac tho tpoolflo faetort to bt ^■HHljj^BHaBd pottlblt eharaettrlttlol of a eltaa mrtloa* Rtaot. it apptart that the oatablithatat of flra alllor a oloaa vereloa It AttlroA» vlll aot bt atottaasy aatll 6. Bav Olati Qi fht Aovolopaont of Ihlt voapoa vlll dtptad upoa a tail ahot <mrrtally plaaaod for Oporatloa BARDCACK la Bprlac bor 21» 1955 lattor» thlo domlopaoat vlll bo alaod at a 6400pouad varhoad volcht aad althonch tho yiold attalaablo vlll aot bo kaova doflaltofljraatll aftor Oporatloa HABDIACI, it it hoptd that tho tptelilid^H|yltld oaa bt aohltmd. It It plaantd to ttndy for about four to tlx aoatht tho quttlloa of ifeat lo ttio optlaoa dotlca for voapoao la Ihlt tloo ru*t. Boaoet it appoart that tho eotabllthaoat of flra allltary ro- ^alrtnoatoi laoludlac culd&noo oa vhothor a ooamatloaal or a oloaa mrtlea lo doolrod• vlll aot bo aoooooary until January

Page 5

vttohlt Kovtrtr. lajdova vtqplrtatnt for a^H^pX^Loravtapoa protollj vlll kart to to aot to * vaapoa of grtattr vtlcfet aad dlaatlor* Xt la aatlaatod toat ihlt valiht vlll to 1600 to 2400 poaada aad tot dlaatitr vlll to 16 to 22 laohtt* The OU> ladloatodi Otetator 1959 to IWbroazf I960, la pvtdloatod oa oar aattotdtrtltpatai prooatd fktitr than praatatlf tooa^it paatltoi, tot OdD alchi to tarllor toaa that thova. 6. adh Artllltrv-flrod. atoalo ngoltotllo gala ovar too prataatlj ttookpllod, foa atsta^ltd, _ Coatotat&Ux, thlo vtapta It dtptndaat apoa tot rtaalta of BEST AVAILABLE COPY tsprtatlac Intortet la eltaa vtapoat, it It tolltrad advltahlt to dlteatt tolt tjpt of vtapon la eoxmtotloa vlth our ortxall voapoa dortlopatni procraa* Wt tollert It It pottlhlt to defrelop fht tlcalfloaat eharaeierittlet of thete vtapoat vould he at Xa addition, If toe vtlght of the oloaa to rtioa of toe atv Clatt B eoold to allovtd to laertatt to approximately 17*000 ponadt total Clatt B hoah, a eltaa vtapon vlth a total yltld ef JHHBHjHaad

Page 6

BEST AVAILABLE COPY. vi vaapona* Vovavar* both varalona of aagr olaaa aonld not ha avail* ahla oa tha data indleatad alnoa tha olaaa varalona vould not ha tha faraffolnc poMjhla olaan vaapon^ nrograna vould ratnlra foil aoala daralapaaii^Il affort* Eovrrar( a olaaa vara loa of tha protontlj atoekpllad Mh-21 hosh eonld ha prodaoad vlth a ralatlraly aaall anoimtafdaTaloMiaatttrffort haaad on tha raanlta ohtalnad la tha t&h a honhao^d hava a total yiold aJ aaiml a Mai Inn plaid of MHHij)^t eonld hava an OAD vlthln alfhtaaa non tha froa initiation of tha procraa* It appaara ^pproprlata to point out at thla Joaetura that tha elaanlaf up af tha Me 15/39 vaapoa la not aa alnplp aohlavad aa It la In tha oaaa af tha Mc~21. Major radaalcn vould ha involved vhleh In offoot vould ho a nav veapoaa profiaa far a nav Olaaa 6* fo avoid delay va are proeaadlnc on the aaeunptian that va ahall receive early request for davalepaant af the olaaa varalon of tha v In vlav of the high priority aaoordad hy the BOD to the laydown veapon procran ve have flven aartoue <v>naldaratlon to prorldlnc aa Intaria oapahillty aapeelally In t&e^|Hylald varalon* Specifically, ve vould uae an Xh-Jh vaxhead In a apeelally modi fied n-28 external oarrlaca oaaa* then thla oaaa la relented froa an aircraft in fllcht* it aeparatea • ejeetlac tha varhoad vhleh lo daoalanated in Ita fall ty a rotoohuta* Booh a veapon could hava an OAD In the third Quarter of 1958* DOE ARCHIVES Ve hava hoard informal axpreaalona af BOD IntereatAn an all eralley varalon of tha XV-25'varhead for the MB-1 uncuided airaraft^rookat* Aa a eonee^uonaa af vhat va hava heard, ve hava requeated IASI to toot an all oralloy, unhooated varalon of tha at WtB in 1957. the varhead. If feaalhle, vould contain vould^lch ‘ahout 20 kilocrune more than tha eurramt Xh-25» hut apaoavlae It prohahly vould require no radaalcn of tha nlaella* Since It le not kaova eurrontly vhathar enoh a eyatam eould ha nada melearly aafa to ana-point detonation, field taata vlll ha required* Vo are proeaadlnc an tha aaeunptlon that va ahall receive at an early data raquoat for davalepaant ef each a varhoad.

Page 7

Zb addition to tha foragoing wa vonld anggaat for jour oonaidaratioo aararal poasibla altaraatira waapon prograas for ahieh ailitax7 iataraat haa not boon axpraaaad to tha aaaa dagraa aa baa tha aili* tary intaraat in tha prograaa bora tofora tabulatad. Ihaaa altaraa* tiro prograaa art aa follovai !• _IlZM?27 Modd-floationi Oar atudioa hara prograaaad to tha point Velcht field Held tha OAD of a aodiflad 71/TM-21 oannot ba atatad at thia tlna. tha Initiation of thia prograa vonld naoaaaarily raanlt in tha dalation of ona of tha OCKL prograaa liatad in tha tabulation containad in tha aaoond paragraph of thia lattar. Any dia* plaoanant of ona progran nay affaot tha OAD'a of othar prograaa. 2. Othar than 8«inch AfAPi Va undaratand that thara ia Intaraat in an 155 aa'Ko.l inen) artillary firad projaotila. Thara la an 8-inch AVAP (TXr3Ll} no* in atookpila, and. vhila thia AFAP doaa not hara tha high yiold potential of a DELETED it doaa hava tha narit af DELETED desired, auoh an AKAP eonld hava an OAD of /ana i960 provided tha 8-inch AKAP prograa la discontinued. It nay bo possible to advance tha June i960 OAD| however, this would require sons adiufttaent of OAD'a of other DCEli projects. If, instead, a DELETED______.yield region is desired, no precise OAD estivate can ba aada at this tine since too little ia known about tha difficulties of developing and veaponitlng If further work confines present estimates, this veapon eould supplement the present 10-to-12-lnch designs in I960. In addi tion, an all oralloy, boosted version of this device possibly could be aede in lU to 16 inches disaster at 150 to 200 pounds. Di^idoption of e prograa pointing toward the veaponisatlon of JHivould result in deletion of one of the other UCRL Prograae listed in the second paragraph of this latter.

Page 8

best AVAILABLE copy cation. vo vonld approoiato rooolvlac tout ooaBonto oa tho overall aneloar voapon Aovolopaont procraa outlined herein, farther' ve would appreciate at veil aoj culdanoe you aagr he able to fumioh ut with reapeot to BOD^VKuiroaeate for el oaa veapon^t for aa intorliiflH||laylfiVZLvtapon• for aa all oralloy X*-25 aad for any of the altomatlve weapon procraae outlined la the preeedlnc paracraph. Ve ehall proceed in the aeaatlae with tho overall voapoao developaeat procraa at outlined in the eeooad paracraph of thlo letter. If any procraae now la procreee are no loafer allltary roqulroaonto* ve vould approelate helac advlted of thlo.