"515"
| "515" | |
|---|---|
| Type | thermonuclear weapon |
| Place of origin | China |
| Service history | |
| In service | late 1980s |
| Production history | |
| No. built | less than 150 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 400 kg |
| Diameter | 500 mm |
| Blast yield | 700 kiloton |
The 515 was a China miniaturized thermonuclear weapon used by JL-1 and DF-21 missile in late 1980s.
History
At the time China not yet found deuterium and tritium gas to miniaturize its thermonuclear warhead. China used existing nuclear material to boost the yield of its fission primary by the use of solid Lithium-6 deuterium. This technique so called solid boosted fission primary.
The main advantage is there is no need to maintain the gas state inside the warhead, thereby simplifying the design and increasing reliability and making it more stable than gas-filled warheads.
This thermonuclear warhead was tested twice, on 17 June 1974 and 16 October 1980, with yields equivalent to 1 megaton in each test.
The boosted fission primary was tested on 7 January 1972 from Q-5A attack aircraft with a yield equivalent to 8 kiloton. The nuclear package was placed on a KB-1/Kuangbiao-1 bomb casing.
References
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