Atomic bullets: history of creation, photo

Nothing moves progress as much as war. This is an absolute fact, albeit very sad. In order to defend their right to the territory, humanity inventes simply fantastic mechanisms and principles that allow one to resist the enemy, to have an advantage in strength and power.

Know-how originally from the 60's

One of the incredible inventions mastered by Soviet physicists during the Cold War. The news that domestic specialists in defense technologies were creating and testing atomic bullets, revealed relatively recently and became a real sensation. All the documentation about the secret developments was kept with seven seals. Only after the USSR collapsed, and Semipalatinsk became part of sovereign Kazakhstan, the secret information began to seep into the media. Then it became known what the atomic bullets are. The description and characteristics of this fantastic weapon made many people wonder. It was not entirely clear how such a miniature nuclear munition could melt a huge armored tank and erase a multi-storey structure from the face of the earth.

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Yes, the size of these bullets was really small for the scale of atomic weapons. Ammunition had a caliber of 14.3 mm and 12.7 mm and was intended for heavy machine guns. But on this scientists did not stop and created a bullet with a caliber of only 7.62 mm specially for the Kalashnikov machine gun. To this day in the whole world there is no atomic projectile that could be compared to such a miniature munition.

The basis for any nuclear weapons is the so-called fissile material. In bombs, this component is represented by uranium 235 or plutonium 239. In nuclear physics, there is the concept of "critical mass" - the weight of the projectile, in which it must work and carry out an explosion. For uranium and plutonium this parameter is not less than 1 kilogram. It is quite logical that the question arises in the head: "What are the atomic bullets manufactured from? How can you put such power in such a small caliber? "

What's inside the atomic bullet?

The answer is quite simple, but behind it lies the painstaking work of Soviet physicists. Atomic bullets were made from the transuranium element of California, and to be precise, from its radioactive isotope. This substance has an atomic weight equal to 252 units. Surprisingly, the isotope california critical mass is only 1.8 g. But this is not the most important advantage of the amazing substance. In its decay, californium 252 exhibits the property of efficient fission of the nucleus with the formation of 5 to 8 neutrons. And this is surprising, since uranium and pluton are capable of generating only 2 or 3 neutrons. Soviet physicists were inspired by success: it is enough to take the whole pea of California 252, and you can produce a colossal atomic explosion! This incredible discovery marked the beginning of the development of a top-secret project to create a new type of weapon.

To obtain california, scientists can use two methods. The most simple is the explosion of a powerful thermonuclear bomb, stuffed with plutonium. Another way is to create isotopes using an atomic reactor. Despite its simplicity, the first method is considered to be the most effective, since it makes it possible to obtain a neutron flux with a density many times greater than that in an atomic reactor. However, this way of extracting californium requires continuous nuclear tests, since mass production of nuclear bullets requires replenishment of stocks of necessary raw materials.

What does a miniature atomic bomb look like?

Having studied the documentation on this project, you can imagine what atomic bullets look like. Their device is incredibly simple. The basis of the bullet is a tiny detail from California, which weighs no more than 6 grams. In its form it resembles a dumbbell consisting of two hemispheres with a thin jumper.

The explosive inside the projectile is packed in the form of a compact ball, the diameter of which in a bullet with a caliber of 7.62 mm is 8 mm. Such dimensions are sufficient to provide a supercritical state and provoke a nuclear explosion. Atomic bullets, the photos of which you see below, contain a contact type fuse inside. It provides charge disruption. This is the simple construction of an arms bomb. It is worth noting that the weight of such a bullet turned out to be much heavier than a conventional analog. In order for the ballistic properties of the invention to be at a height, the sleeve needed to be equipped with a more powerful charge of gunpowder.

Why did the USSR stop this project?

There is one important feature that an atomic bullet possesses. The USSR draft for the development and implementation of this invention was largely curtailed due to the fact that the shells were very hot. During the decay of California, intensive heat release occurs. This phenomenon is natural, since all radioactive substances are heated during decay. This effect is the more intense the shorter the half-life is. Thus, the atomic bullet with a filling from California generated up to 5 Watts of thermal energy. Together with this process there was a change in the properties of the explosive and the fuze itself. The most dangerous thing was that fast and strong heating can cause a bullet to get stuck in the chamber or in the barrel, and there was also a great danger of a spontaneous explosion of a bullet during a shot.

In connection with these circumstances it was found that the storage of nuclear bullets requires the availability of a specialized refrigerator. This unit was a copper plate 15 cm thick, equipped with nests for 30 cartridges. In the space between the projectiles, the refrigerant, which liquid ammonia served, was driven through channels under pressure. This system provided the projectiles with the desired temperature of -15 ° C. The refrigeration unit was characterized by increased power consumption (200 watts) and a heavy weight of 110 kg. The movement of this design was possible only with the use of special transport, which caused a lot of inconvenience.

In the design of a classic bomb, the cooling system is also an indispensable element of the design, but it is located inside. In the case of atomic bullets, the need for an external reduction in the temperature of the shells is recognized.

The peculiarity of using such bullets was as follows: they were stored in a refrigerator at a temperature of -15 ° C. After the projectile was removed from the repository, it had to be applied within half an hour. For this period of time it was required to install a bullet in the gun shop, to be placed on the firing position, to aim with the required accuracy and to make a shot. If the fighter did not manage to keep within this interval, then the bullet should be returned to the refrigerator for storage. The projectile, which lay without adequate storage conditions for more than an hour, must be destroyed by means of special equipment.

Features of atomic bullets

Scientists have revealed yet another serious drawback, which characterized the atomic bullets. Tests of these shells showed a high share of instability of the energy released during the explosion. This figure could vary from 100 to 700 kg in the equivalent of TNT. Its magnitude directly depended on the conditions in which the bullets were stored, and on the material of the chosen target.

Experience has shown that atomic bullets are something special in nature of the explosion. They are very different from the usual atomic bomb and chemical explosives, with the rupture of which are allocated huge amounts of hot gases. Their temperature reaches hundreds of thousands of degrees. A small ball with a small amount of charge is not physically able to inform the surrounding environment of its full power of nuclear decay.

We are able to imagine how powerful the explosion will be, even from 100 kg of explosives. Atomic bullets are characterized by a weaker blast wave, but by the level of radiation they exceeded their chemical counterparts. In connection with this circumstance, these shells could be used only to defeat as far as possible distant targets. However, even this could not save the shooter from significant exposure. Snipers using atomic bullets were not allowed to shoot long bursts and produce more than three shots.

Where can you use these bullets?

Agree, these shells are a rather whimsical in use military ammunition, and the question arises: "Where are the atomic bullets used? To defeat what goals are they irreplaceable? "The armor of the modern tank is strong enough for the projectile to penetrate through it. However, this was not required. When hit in a tank, an atomic bullet emits so much heat that the protective layer from the combat vehicle simply evaporated and the metal melted. As a result, the caterpillars became one with the tower, and the tank turned into an absolutely immobilized and unsuitable object. One atomic bullet is capable of turning a cubic meter of brickwork into dust.

Colossus on clay feet

But this colossus also has its own weak point. It is for certain known that if nuclear bullets fall into the aquatic environment, then a nuclear explosion does not occur. This is explained by the fact that this liquid medium has the property of slowing and reflecting neutrons. This property was taken into account by scientists and Soviet tanks began to protect tanks with water. An original armor protected combat vehicles from enemy bullets and california.

Expensive, unpredictable and exotic

The history of the creation of atomic bullets was forced to sink into oblivion together with the introduction of a moratorium on the testing of a weapon possessing nuclear potential. The whole problem was that the California reserves, which could be obtained through powerful explosions, disappear quite quickly. There was only an alternative way to get it - with the help of an atomic reactor. However, this method was considered costly, and the yield of the valuable element was small. Such circumstances were reinforced by the lack of an urgent need for further development of the development of atomic bullets. The leadership of the country's defense forces decided that the enemy can be destroyed by ammunition, which does not require so many efforts to manufacture, store and move. In this regard, the project "Atomic Bullets" of the USSR turned off and sent dust to the shelves of secret archives.

See now the development of those years, most likely, you can somewhere in museums or in private collections of rarities, but their effectiveness has long been lost. The fact is that the shelf life of these bullets is limited to six years. It is possible that research is currently underway to improve miniature atomic shells with californium, but titanic work should be done to make them convenient for use and to make their production cheaper. It is quite difficult to resist the laws of physics. Whatever one may say, atomic bullets with calyphene have negative characteristics as fillings:

• Strongly heated during storage;
• Need constant cooling;
• Use them not later than half an hour after defrosting;
• Unstable and unregulated charge explosion power;
• Disinfect if exposed to water with medium;
• Production of californium in an atomic reactor is a long and expensive process.

The totality of these circumstances caused the incredible project called "Atomic Bullets" of the USSR to be preserved until better times. It's not even that there was a pity for the further development of this military equipment. The country's leadership considered this project inexpedient and too exotic for the early 80's.

At the moment, Russia has several mobile anti-aircraft missile systems, such as Strela and Igla. In their design there is a homing system that needs to be cooled to -200 ° C. This is done by creating an environment of liquid nitrogen and also costs a lot. However, this does not serve as an excuse for the Ministry of Defense to consider this weapon to be too complicated in the device and inexpedient. Maintaining the state's combat power justifies the use of such expensive technologies. Perhaps in the future a portable mini-cooling system for nuclear bullets will be developed, and they will be used by the most ordinary soldiers.

The development of small nuclear weapons in the United States

About who invented atomic bullets for the first time, and now disputes do not cease. The first mention of ultra-small and powerful weapons arose in the 60s of the last century, when the world situation pushed the development of the military industry. The issue of armament with the mechanisms of striking action was then very acute, and the two superpowers - the US and the USSR went side by side in creating nuclear technologies to maintain military parity. Many scientists are inclined to believe that atomic bullets are a matter of the minds and hands of American specialists. At the heart of their development is the idea of destroying living creatures in a certain radius of the projectile by means of a special damaging gas released during a nuclear reaction. In the USSR, the development of atomic bullets was a prospect to confront a potential adversary.

Today the controversy surrounding this project subsided, it would seem, the topic remained in the last century. However, recent publications by the American media forced everyone to recall what nuclear bullets are. In Texas, a group of physicists made a series of experiments related to the testing of a bomb filled with a hafnium isomer. In order to obtain this substance, the core of the element was irradiated with X-ray waves. Scientists were amazed: in the process, the amount of energy was allocated, which exceeded the cost of initiation by 60 times. In terms of quality, the resulting radiation consisted mainly of the gamma spectrum, which is harmful to living organisms. The destructive ability of hafnium equals the equivalent of 50 kg of TNT. This type of weapon accepts the rules for the use of mini-bombs of the atomic plan or mini-nukes, which are described in the Bush Security Doctrine.

It is not known for certain whether developments on this issue are being conducted in Russia, however, it is possible that in the near future our scientists will be able to respond to the developments of their American counterparts.