An-22 Bomb
The AN-22 was France's second air-dropped nuclear weapon, developed as a replacement for the earlier AN-11 bomb, entering service in 1967.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008) |
It had a similar 60 to 70 kilotons yield fission warhead to the earlier AN-11, but with enhanced safety features and a parachute retarder to enable it to be dropped at low level. Additionally the casing was redesigned reducing its weight from approximately 1,400 kg (3,000 lb) to around 700 kg (1,500 lb). It was carried by the Dassault Mirage IV P (nuclear Penetration).
| AN-22 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Nuclear bomb |
| Place of origin | France |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1967-1988 |
| Production history | |
| No. built | 40 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 700 kg |
| Blast yield | 70 kilotons |
A stockpile of about 40 weapons was maintained, providing one for each of the 36 Mirage IVAs in service, plus several spares. The last warhead was retired on 1 July 1988, at which point the ASMP standoff missile took over the role previously held by the AN-22.
See also
References
This article uses material from the Wikipedia English article AN-22 bomb, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license ("CC BY-SA 3.0"); additional terms may apply (view authors). Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
®Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wiki Foundation, Inc. Wiki English (DUHOCTRUNGQUOC.VN) is an independent company and has no affiliation with Wiki Foundation.