Mk17 Thermonuclear Weapon

The Mark 17 was the largest nuclear bomb deployed by the United States and one of the first thermonuclear weapons stockpiled. When its bomb shape was test-dropped, the plane would soar upward a couple hundred feet, and pilots said it was as if the bomb had released the plane. The B-36 bomber and the B-52, with modified bomb-bay doors, were the only planes capable of carrying the Mk17. The Mk 17 used a series of special parachutes to improve its accuracy and slow its descent, allowing the delivery aircraft time to escape the effects of the blast. It was a strategic weapon in the megaton range, with an airburst option, a length of 24.8 feet, a diameter of 61.4 inches, a weight of 41,400 pounds, and it was stockpiled from 1953 to 1957.

New Mexico · United States