List_of_nuclear_weapons_tests_of_the_United_States

List of United States nuclear weapons tests

List of United States nuclear weapons tests

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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.

See also: List of nuclear weapons tests
Trinity, part of Project Manhattan, was the first ever nuclear explosion.

United States nuclear tests

See also: List of nuclear weapons tests
More information Series or years, Years covered ...
  1. [S 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. [S 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. [S 3]
    "Small" refers to a value greater than zero but less than 0.5 kt.
  4. [S 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 Range

Notes

  1. [N 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.

References

  1. [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. [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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