List of United States nuclear weapons tests

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Trinity, part of Project Manhattan, was the first ever nuclear explosion. Trinity Test Fireball 25ms.jpg
Trinity , part of Project Manhattan , was the first ever nuclear explosion.

The nuclear weapons tests of the United States were performed from 1945 to 1992 as part of the nuclear arms race. The United States conducted around 1,054 nuclear tests by official count, including 216 atmospheric, underwater, and space tests. [1] [notes 1] Most of the tests took place at the Nevada Test Site (NNSS/NTS) and the Pacific Proving Grounds in the Marshall Islands and off Kiritimati Island in the Pacific, plus three in the Atlantic Ocean. Ten other tests took place at various locations in the United States, including Alaska, Nevada other than the NNSS/NTS, Colorado, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

Contents

United States nuclear tests

United States' nuclear testing series summary
Series or years Years covered Tests [Summ 1] Devices fired Devices with un-known yield Peace-ful use tests Non-PTBT tests [Summ 2] Yield range (kilotons) [Summ 3] Total yield (kilotons) [Summ 4] Notes
Trinity 1945 11121 21First nuclear weapons test, conducted as part of the Manhattan Project. Tested the Mark 3 Fat Man design.
World War II 1945 22218-21 38War combat use, not primarily tests. Little Boy dropped on Hiroshima and Fat Man dropped on Nagasaki, two different weapons designs.
Crossroads 1946 22221 42First postwar test series.
Sandstone 1948 33318 to 49 104The first use of "levitated" cores made of oralloy. Tested components for Mark 4 design.
Ranger 1951 5551 to 22 40First tests at the Nevada Test Site. Operation originally named "Operation Faust".
Greenhouse 1951 44446 to 225 398George shot was physics experiment relating to the hydrogen bomb; Item shot was first boosted fission weapon.
Buster-Jangle 1951 777small to 31 72The first series in which troop maneuvers (Desert Rock exercises) were performed.
Tumbler-Snapper 1952 8881 to 31 104
Ivy 1952 222500 to 10,400 10,900The "Mike" shot was the first multi-megaton thermonuclear weapon.
Upshot-Knothole 1953 111111small to 61 25218,000 men exposed in Desert Rock V up to 26.6 REM. 84 exceeded current yearly limits of 5 REM/yr.
Castle 1954 666110 to 15,000 48,200Bravo shot inspired secret Project 4.1 to study fallout victims. It over-produced by 250% of expected yield, caused fallout over a wide area.
Teapot 1955 1414141 to 43 167
Wigwam 1955 11130 302,000 feet (610 m) underwater
Project 56 1955–1956 4440 to 0 0
Redwing 1956 171717small to 5,000 20,820Test with "energy budget". Competition between UCRL and LASL over budget allocation was high.
Project 57 1957 1110 0The first safety test, asking whether an improperly ignited bomb (as in a plane crash) would cause a nuclear blast.
Plumbbob 1957 2929250 to 74 345Included the largest atmospheric test in CONUS.
Project 58+58A 1957 441small to 1 1Four more safety tests.
Hardtack I 1958 3535350 to 9,300 35,628A series in the Pacific Proving Ground, including three rocket boosted high altitude tests called Operation Newsreel.
Argus 1958 3332 4Also known as Operation Floral before becoming Argus for security reasons. Tested three weapons in the South Atlantic, trying to create an artificial energy belt in the magnetosphere.
Hardtack II 1958 3737240 to 22 46Meant to squeeze all possible testing into the time before Eisenhower's test ban started on 30 October 1958. Planned as "Operation Millrace", changed to HT II when a science panel recommended to "stop testing after the Hardtack series."
Nougat 1961–1962 444412small to 67 357First all-underground test series. Included first Operation Plowshare shot "Gnome" in Carlsbad, New Mexico, which was detonated in an underground salt dome.
Sunbeam 1962 444small to 2 2Aka Operation Dominic II. Test of small tactical warheads, including the man-portable "Davy Crockett". Last atmospheric test series. The Army's part of Sunbeam was Operation Ivy Flats.
Dominic 1962–1963 3131312 to 8,300 34,640"Frigate Bird" was the only operational test of a missile "mated" with a live warhead. Series also included three high-altitude tests known as Operation Fishbowl, separated out in this text.
Fishbowl 1962 9949400 to 1,400 2,205The high altitude rocket part of Operation Dominic. Included several failed tests as the rockets failed for various reasons.
Storax 1962–1963 4747311 to 115 585
Roller Coaster 1963 4440 0Storage-transportation safety experiments, measured plutonium dispersal risk.
Niblick 1963–1964 41434small to 249 698
Whetstone 1964–1965 464941small to 51 476
Flintlock 1965–1966 47492small to 365 1,891
Latchkey 1966–1967 38383small to 870 1,831
Crosstie 1967–1968 4857542small to 1,300 3,638
Bowline 1968–1969 475821small to 1,150 2,152
Mandrel 1969–70 527812small to 1,900 5,528
Emery 1970–1971 16242small to 220 565
Grommet 1971–1972 34391small to 4,800 5,200Included Cannikin , the largest underground explosion ever at 5 Mt, fired under the Aleutian island Amchitka.
Toggle 1972–1973 28351small to 250 958
Arbor 1973–1974 1820small to 150 274
Bedrock 1974–1975 2729small to 750 2,840
Anvil 1975–1976 21210 to 1,000 5,993
Fulcrum 1976–1977 2124small to 140 635
Cresset 1977–1978 22230 to 150 1,122
Quicksilver 1978–1979 16161 to 140 717
Tinderbox 1979–1980 14141 to 140 452
Guardian 1980–1981 14141 to 140 322
Praetorian 1981–1982 19201 to 140 938
Phalanx 1982–1983 18191 to 143 365
Fusileer 1983–1984 1616small to 150 521
Grenadier 1984–1985 16163 to 150 670
Charioteer 1985–1986 1616small to 140 549
Musketeer 1986–1987 14163 to 150 970
Touchstone 1987–1988 13152 to 150 696
Cornerstone 1988–1989 11171 to 150 436
Aqueduct 1989–1990 1013small to 150 426
Sculpin 1990–1991 792 to 140 478
Julin 1991–1992 79small to 100 172The last test series, cut off by the negotiation of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Totals1945-Jul-16 to 1992-Sep-23 1032 1132 12 27 231 0 to 15,000 196,552 Total country yield is 36.3% of all nuclear testing.
  1. ↑ Includes all tests with potential for nuclear fission or fusion explosion, including combat use, singleton tests, salvo tests, zero yield fails, safety experiments, and bombs incapacitated by accidents but still intended to be fired. It does not include hydronuclear and subcritical tests, and misfires of a device which was subsequently fired successfully.
  2. ↑ Number of tests which would have been in violation of the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963, such as atmospheric, space or underwater tests. Some "peaceful use" cratering tests which should have been violations were protested, and later quietly dropped.
  3. ↑ "Small" refers to a value greater than zero but less than 0.5 kt.
  4. ↑ Some yields are described like "< 20 kt"; such are scored at one half of the numeric amount, i.e., yield of 10k in this example. "Unknown yield" adds nothing to the total.

Timeline

Graphical timeline of United States atmospheric nuclear weapons tests. [2]

Operation ArgusOperation SunbeamSedan craterOperation NougatOperation Hardtack IIProject 58Operation PlumbbobProject 57Project 56Operation TeapotOperation Upshot-KnotholeOperation Tumbler-SnapperOperation Buster-JangleOperation RangerOperation FishbowlOperation DominicOperation Hardtack IOperation RedwingOperation WigwamOperation CastleOperation IvyOperation GreenhouseOperation SandstoneOperation CrossroadsProject AlbertaSouth AtlanticNevada Test SitePacific Proving GroundWhite Sands Missile RangeList of United States nuclear weapons tests

Notes

  1. ↑ Discrepancies with the table include 24 tests actually carried out by the United Kingdom at the NTS; four aborted tests in Operation Fishbowl; one test, Anvil/Peninsula, that jammed during lowering in its shaft and was abandoned; and five salvo tests listed as two enumerated tests each because they were treated that way when eventually described to the public, rather than standing on the treaty definition of a salvo test.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nevada Test Site</span> US Department of Energy reservation in Nevada

The Nevada National Security Site, known as the Nevada Test Site (NTS) until 2010, is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of the city of Las Vegas. Formerly known as the Nevada Proving Grounds, the site was established in 1951 for the testing of nuclear devices. It covers approximately 1,360 square miles (3,500 km2) of desert and mountainous terrain. Nuclear weapons testing at the site began with a 1-kiloton (4.2 TJ) bomb dropped on Frenchman Flat on January 27, 1951. Over the subsequent four decades, over 1,000 nuclear explosions were detonated at the site. Many of the iconic images of the nuclear era come from the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Whetstone</span> Series of 1960s US nuclear tests

The United States's Whetstone nuclear test series was a group of 46 nuclear tests conducted in 1964–1965. These tests followed the Operation Niblick series and preceded the Operation Flintlock series.

Operation Latchkey was a series of 38 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1966–1967 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Flintlock series and preceded the Operation Crosstie series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bowline</span> Series of 1960s US nuclear tests

The United States's Bowline nuclear test series was a group of 47 nuclear tests conducted in 1968–1969. These tests followed the Operation Crosstie series and preceded the Operation Mandrel series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Mandrel</span> Series of 1960s and 1970s US nuclear tests

The United States's Mandrel nuclear test series was a group of 52 nuclear tests conducted in 1969–1970. These tests followed the Operation Bowline series and preceded the Operation Emery series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Emery</span> Series of 1970s US nuclear tests

The United States's Emery nuclear test series was a group of 16 nuclear weapons tests conducted in 1970 and 1971. These tests followed the Operation Mandrel series and preceded the Operation Grommet series.

Operation Quicksilver was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1978–1979 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Cresset series and preceded the Operation Tinderbox series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Teapot</span> Series of 1950s US nuclear tests

Operation Teapot was a series of 14 nuclear test explosions conducted at the Nevada Test Site in the first half of 1955. It was preceded by Operation Castle, and followed by Operation Wigwam. Wigwam was, administratively, a part of Teapot, but it is usually treated as a class of its own. The aims of the operation were to establish military tactics for ground forces on a nuclear battlefield and to improve the nuclear weapons used for strategic delivery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Sunbeam</span> Series of 1960s US nuclear tests

Operation Sunbeam was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested tactical nuclear warheads; the most notable was the Davy Crockett.

The United States's Praetorian nuclear test series was a group of 19 nuclear tests conducted in 1981–1982. These tests followed the Operation Guardian series and preceded the Operation Phalanx series.

Operation Fusileer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1983–1984 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Phalanx series and preceded the Operation Grenadier series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Charioteer</span> Series of 1980s US nuclear tests

Operation Charioteer was a series of 16 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1985–1986 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Grenadier series and preceded the Operation Musketeer series.

The United States's Cornerstone nuclear test series was a group of 11 nuclear tests conducted in 1988–1989. These tests followed the Operation Touchstone series and preceded the Operation Aqueduct series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Grommet</span> Series of 1970s US nuclear tests

The United States's Grommet nuclear test series was a group of 34 nuclear tests conducted in 1971–1972. These tests followed the Operation Emery series and preceded the Operation Toggle series.

The United States's Arbor nuclear test series was a group of 18 nuclear tests conducted in 1973–1974. These tests followed the Operation Toggle series and preceded the Operation Bedrock series.

The United States's Fulcrum nuclear test series was a group of 21 nuclear tests conducted in 1976–1977. These tests followed the Operation Anvil series and preceded the Operation Cresset series.

The United States's Cresset nuclear test series was a group of 22 nuclear tests conducted in 1977–1978. These tests followed the Operation Fulcrum series and preceded the Operation Quicksilver series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Anvil (nuclear test)</span> Series of 1970s US nuclear tests

Operation Anvil was a series of 21 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1975–1976 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Bedrock series and preceded the Operation Fulcrum series.

Operation Roller Coaster was a series of four nuclear tests conducted jointly by the United States and the United Kingdom in 1963, at the Nevada Test Site. The tests did not involve the detonation of any nuclear weapons. Instead, their purpose was to evaluate the distribution of radioactive particles in a "dirty bomb" scenario, or an inadvertent, non-nuclear detonation of a nuclear weapon, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of storage structures in containing the explosion and the particles released. The tests followed the Operation Storax series and preceded the Operation Niblick series.

Operation Project 56 was a series of 4 nuclear tests conducted by the United States in 1955–1956 at the Nevada Test Site. These tests followed the Operation Wigwam series and preceded the Operation Redwing series.

References

  1. ↑ "United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992" (PDF) (DOE/NV-209 REV15). Las Vegas, NV: Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. 2000-12-01. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-12. Retrieved 2013-12-18.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ↑ United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992 (PDF) (Report). Las Vegas, NV: Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. 2000-12-01. DOE/NV-209 REV15. Retrieved 2019-05-05.

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