Overview

This is a new version of A History of America's Nuclear Weapons: Volume II - Weapon Systems From 1960 Through the Present. It is a more of a re-release than a new edition because it focuses on the book's organization. At the request of some readers, it 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 the 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. Volume II takes up where Volume I leaves off. Volume II is written in the same straightforward, easy to understand, manner as Volume I. American nuclear weapons and delivery systems are presented in a rough chronological order with some weapons treated individually and others in functional or family groupings. Like Volume I, Volume II combines development histories with engineering descriptions to illustrate the performance characteristics of each weapon described and the design challenges that faced their developers. Basic data about weapon operation, delivery systems, and deployments are also included. Volume II: -Has about 500 technical references, grouped into related categories -Uses official Military Characteristic (parts) Numbers for components where available, a very useful tool for internet searches -Discusses second generation multi-megaton hydrogen bombs including the three-stage, 25-megaton MK 41, America's most powerful weapon -Outlines the evolution of jet-powered, medium and heavy, strategic nuclear bombers -Discusses the continued development of tactical nuclear bombs and their delivery systems -Explains the mechanism of Dial-a-Yield, used in the B61 and B83 bombs, -Follows the evolution of liquid and solid fuel ICBMs, which now form the core of the nuclear triad - based in silos and on-board Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines -Describes the evolution of Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) that allowed Moscow to be targeted with four hundred thermonuclear warheads -Takes up the development of tactical nuclear missiles where Volume I left off -Describes the development of Enhanced Radiation or neutron weapons to minimize casualties in the European Theater -Outlines how tactical nuclear missiles and nuclear artillery were combined to provide Terrain Fire , in which thousands of overlapping nuclear bursts to depths of 50 or 100 kilometers along an adversary's border would annihilate its forward forces leaving millions of dead -Follows the development air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles, including the specially tailored W61 warhead, which used gold to produce extremely high intensity radiation for use in space.

Full Product Details

9781719852272

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available