A Special Atomic Demolition Munition on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
A History of Speculation
There has long been speculation as to whether “suitcase” nuclear weapons have been built. Speculation that when the Soviet Union dissolved, these devices may have found their way into the hands of terrorists. If one looks online, one can find pictures of mockups of such devices. I have never seen conclusive evidence that “suitcase” nuclear bombs exist in anything like the size of a business briefcase. If anyone has such evidence, please share in the comments.
However, that is not to say that miniaturized “backpack” nuclear weapons do not exist. Indeed, the United States built them in the 1960s and devised tactics for their use. The weapons were retired in 1989 and the last was dismantled in 1993. Those weapons will be the topic of this brief note.
Special Atomic Munitions
Special Atomic Demolition Munitions (SADMs) were nuclear bombs that could be carries and used by one man. Together with a carrying ruck, the whole package weighed about sixty pounds. It could be deployed with an operator parachuting onto land or water. It could be set to explode either submerged or on land. The B-54 SADM was available in both 1-kiloton and 2 kiloton configurations. That is, the device could deliver a nuclear yield equivalent to either 1,000 or 2,000 tons of TNT.
These devices were flexible and could be used for various tactical applications. Procedures applicable to the use of strategic nuclear devices had to be modified. For example, strategic nuclear devices require the use of launch codes to release them for use, authentication procedures to confirm the validity of a command, and even require two physically separated individuals to act in unison to prevent a single individual from releasing the weapon.
Fig. 2 SADM Carrying Case. Not a briefcase, but portable.
Such procedures are not necessary for the use of a SADM. By design, the SADM is meant to be used by one man. The only security on the device itself is a combination lock on the lid of the arming panel. When one examines the arming panel, one is immediately struck by the simplicity of its construction. It literally looks like the device could have been assembled in someone’s garage.
A History of Speculation
There has long been speculation as to whether “suitcase” nuclear weapons have been built. Speculation that when the Soviet Union dissolved, these devices may have found their way into the hands of terrorists. If one looks online, one can find pictures of mockups of such devices. I have never seen conclusive evidence that “suitcase” nuclear bombs exist in anything like the size of a business briefcase. If anyone has such evidence, please share in the comments.
However, that is not to say that miniaturized “backpack” nuclear weapons do not exist. Indeed, the United States built them in the 1960s and devised tactics for their use. The weapons were retired in 1989 and the last was dismantled in 1993. Those weapons will be the topic of this brief note.
Special Atomic Munitions
Special Atomic Demolition Munitions (SADMs) were nuclear bombs that could be carries and used by one man. Together with a carrying ruck, the whole package weighed about sixty pounds. It could be deployed with an operator parachuting onto land or water. It could be set to explode either submerged or on land. The B-54 SADM was available in both 1-kiloton and 2 kiloton configurations. That is, the device could deliver a nuclear yield equivalent to either 1,000 or 2,000 tons of TNT.
These devices were flexible and could be used for various tactical applications. Procedures applicable to the use of strategic nuclear devices had to be modified. For example, strategic nuclear devices require the use of launch codes to release them for use, authentication procedures to confirm the validity of a command, and even require two physically separated individuals to act in unison to prevent a single individual from releasing the weapon.
Fig. 2 SADM Carrying Case. Not a briefcase, but portable.
Such procedures are not necessary for the use of a SADM. By design, the SADM is meant to be used by one man. The only security on the device itself is a combination lock on the lid of the arming panel. When one examines the arming panel, one is immediately struck by the simplicity of its construction. It literally looks like the device could have been assembled in someone’s garage.
Fig. 3 Arming Panel of B54-1 SADM with protective security lid removed
Arming the device is ridiculously simple. It involves setting the timer (to a maximum of 27 hours), transferring the primer from the “safe” well to the “arm” well, and flipping the arming switch from “safe” to “arm.”
Green Light Teams
Special operations forces, so-called “Green Light Teams,” were trained to insert by parachute, navigate to their objective, set the device, and exfil. It was generally understood that they would have to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the blast. In any event, it was highly probable that their mission would be a one-way ticket.
This video is a brief overview of the SADM’s history:
While the material on the B-54 SADM has been declassified and the devices relegated to museums, the technology exists. In my novel, “Target Deck” (link below) a SADM is reassembled for use on a covert special operation.
Cameron Curtis has spent thirty years on trade floors as a trader and risk manager. He was on the trade floor when Saddam’s tanks rolled into Kuwait, when the air wars opened over Baghdad and Belgrade, and when the financial crisis swallowed the world. He is the author of the Breed action thriller series, available on Amazon.
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