Overview

This is a new release of A History of America's Nuclear Weapons: Volume I - Introduction and Weapon Systems Through 1960. It is a new release rather than a new edition because it does not focus on new information. Rather, at the request of a number of purchasers, it has been reorganized and now discusses nuclear weapons in a fairly strict chronological order. Formerly, it described groups of weapon systems in a semi-chronological manner. Both organizational styles have their merits but I subscribe to the philosophy that that purchaser is (almost) always right. Requests have been made for more graphics but this would require reorganizing the book into three Volumes, and would raise the combined price significantly. (The current print files are maxed out and graphic files are memory hogs.) Also, as it turns out, there are two groups of readers for this book; those who just want a good armchair read and those who are more interested in the technical content. The first group apparently finds some content (arming, fuzing, and firing systems to be redundant) whereas the second group calls these descriptions exquisite. Talk about inflating an Author's ego! Because this book is about nuclear technology, the technical discussions will be retained. For the convenience of the Reader, Volume I has a leading section that places the American nuclear arsenal into its historical context and provides the basic technical background needed to understand the weapon's mechanisms. Included are chapters on weapon design, the military-industrial complex, and stockpile logistics. These are followed by a discussion intended to clearly convey what would have happened if nuclear weapons were ever put to use. The introduction closes with a review of early warning and targeting, nuclear war plans, the deployment of nuclear forces, and the evolution of strategic doctrine during the period of the Cold War. It also includes sections on non-proliferation and the current management of the US Nuclear Stockpile. This story is told in as straightforward and easy to understand manner as possible. The use of equations is shunned. Albert Einstein declared that if you can't tell a story without the use of mathematics, you really didn't understand your subject matter. The second half of Volume I examines early American nuclear weapons and delivery systems It combines development histories with engineering descriptions to illustrate the performance characteristics of the weapons and the design challenges that faced their developers. Basic data about weapon operation, delivery systems, and deployments are also included. Volume I: -Has about 1,000 technical references, grouped into related categories -Uses official Military Characteristic (parts) Numbers for components where available, a very useful tool for internet searches -Provides detailed information on the recovery of plutonium from spent fuel rods and the casting of plutonium cores -Outlines the evolution of nuclear pits: solid, composite, levitated, hollow, boosted, linear and linear boosted. -Provides information on the explosives and methods used to compress plutonium cores on a weapon by weapon basis, especially the plastic bonded explosives (PBX) produced at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Kingsport, Tennessee -Outlines the development of the batteries and the arming, fuzing and firing (X-Unit) systems used in various nuclear MARKs and MODs -Outlines the internal and external electronic neutron initiation systems used in various nuclear MARKs and MODs -Follows the race to develop hydrogen bombs and investigates the first generation of multi-megaton bombs and their delivery aircraft. Preprints of this paperback were sent to the NNSA, DOE, and DOD for review, thus, the Author can guarantee that the men-in-black will never come to your home if you purchase this book.

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9781719831963

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