Deployed on Strategic Air Command bombers, the B53, with a yield of 9 megatons, was the most powerful weapon in the U.S. nuclear arsenal after the last B41 nuclear bombs were retired in 1976. The B53 was the basis of the W-53 warhead carried by the Titan II missile, which was decommissioned in 1987.

An enduring symbol of the Cold War, the B53 was one of the longest-lived nuclear weapons fielded by the United States, and it remained a key element of nuclear deterrence until retired in 1997. First produced in 1962, the Mk-53 "hydrogen" bomb -- later,

Apr 3, 1997 · Current models are the B53-Y1 and the B53-Y2, which are "dirty" and "clean" versions. The last 50 B-53 bombs finally began retirement from active service at the beginning of 1997 (although they remain part of the enduring stockpile).

Oct 26, 2011 · The B53 hydrogen bomb was first produced in 1962 as the Mk 53 and was designed to be carried internally by B-47, B-52, B-58, and B-70 aircraft. The weapon was designed to penetrate deep bunkers...

Used a Type 2A-24 Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) gas reservoir and valve assembly. Each Type 1A squib contains an electro-explosive device (EED) that initiates 25mg of lead styphnate, which in turn initiates 175mg of ball powder (black powder).

The B53 nuclear bomb was a two-stage implosion weapon using highly enriched uranium and 95 per cent enriched Lithium-6 deuteride fusion fuel. It was produced in two versions including B53-Y1 and B53-Y2.

Almost as big as a minivan and weighing over four tons, the B53 was America's largest conventionally dropped nuclear bomb. The mammoth B53 had a yield of 9 megatons—enough to create a fireball nearly 3 miles in diameter. The weapon was developed in 1955 and originally designed as a "bunker buster."

Oct 24, 2011 · The B53 gravity bomb was the perfect Cold War weapon: dumb and powerful, it vastly outclassed the destructive force of the bombs that vaporized Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Jun 21, 2024 · "The dismantlement of the B53 bomb – the oldest weapon in America's arsenal and one of the largest in US history – is a major accomplishment that has made the world safer and for which everyone involved should be proud," …

Mar 9, 2015 · The B53 was 600 times more powerful than ‘Little Boy’ dropped by ‘Enola Gay’ over Hiroshima on August 6 th 1945. In the current era of smart bombs, the B53 was very much a throwback to the days of the nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR.