Operation Sunbeam | |
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![]() Sunbeam Small Boy. | |
Information | |
Country | United States |
Test site | Nevada Test Site |
Period | 1962 |
Number of tests | 4 |
Test type | Atmospheric |
Max. yield | 1.65 kT; other three shots less than 50 tons equiv each. |
Navigation | |
Previous test | Operation Storax |
Next test | Operation Roller Coaster |
Operation Sunbeam[1] was a series of four nuclear tests conducted at the United States of America's Nevada Test Site in 1962. Operation Sunbeam tested small, "tactical" nuclear warheads; the most notable was the Davy Crockett.
The chief milestone of Operation Sunbeam was that it was the last nuclear test series on the Nevada Test Site conducted in the atmosphere by the United States. Since Operation Sunbeam, specifically the Little Feller 1 test of the Davy Crockett, all US nuclear tests on the Test Site have been carried out underground in accordance with the Partial Test Ban Treaty.
The individual blasts were:
Name | Date | Yield | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Little Feller II | July 7, 1962 | 22 tons | 37°07′09″N 116°18′14″W / 37.11906°N 116.30381°W |
Johnnie Boy | July 11, 1962 | 500 tons | 37°07′20″N 116°20′02″W / 37.12216°N 116.33395°W |
Small Boy | July 14, 1962 | 1.65 kilotons | 36°47′53″N 115°55′55″W / 36.798°N 115.932°W |
Little Feller I | July 17, 1962 | 18 tons | 37°06′34″N 116°19′06″W / 37.10946°N 116.31823°W |
References[]
- "United States Nuclear Tests: July 1945 through September 1992 (Revision 15)". Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. December 2000. http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/publications/historical/DOENV_209_REV15.pdf. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
- "CMR Nuclear Explosion Database (Revision 3)". SMDC Monitoring Research. August 2000. http://www.rdss.info/database/nucex/report/explosion.pdf. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
- Hansen, Chuck (1995). The Swords of Armageddon, Vol. 8. Chukelea Publications (Sunnyvale, CA). ISBN 978-0-9791915-1-0.
- Norris, Robert Standish, and Thomas B. Cochran (1 Feb. 1994). "United States nuclear tests, July 1945 to 31 December 1992". http://docs.nrdc.org/nuclear/files/nuc_02019401a_121.pdf. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
The original article can be found at Operation Sunbeam and the edit history here.