atomic warhead
Fission-powered explosive tip
An atomic warhead is the explosive component of a nuclear weapon, designed to be delivered by a missile, torpedo, or other delivery system.
It contains fissile material—typically uranium or plutonium—that undergoes nuclear fission to release enormous destructive energy.
The term distinguishes the payload from its carrier: The missile was equipped with multiple atomic warheads.
Atomic warhead and nuclear warhead are used interchangeably, though nuclear is now more common in technical contexts.
- plutonium-239Fissile actinide isotope
- uranium enrichmentRaising fissile isotope proportion
- Manhattan ProjectClandestine atomic weapons program
- HiroshimaFirst nuclear-struck city
- nuclear winterWartime cooling catastrophe
civilian casualties · chain reaction · hydrogen bomb · Cold War · cruise missile · Nagasaki · mushroom cloud · blast radius · strategic bombing · critical mass · mutually assured destruction · nuclear fission · environmental contamination · ballistic missile · disarmament talks · weapons inspector · Cuban Missile Crisis · Trinity test
- nuclear weaponshydrogen bomb, a-bomb, H-bomb, nuke, fission bomb
- Warheads
atomic warheadchemical explosives
Reactive compounds that detonate
TNT · high explosives · gunpowder · dynamite · bullet
atomic warheadfirecracker
Small celebratory explosive device
cap gun · popgun · peashooter · small arms · hand grenade
atomic warheaddisarmament
Reducing or eliminating weapons
nuclear disarmament · denuclearization · olive branch · peace treaty · peace symbol
atomic, atom, atoms, atomize, atomized, atomizer, atomization, subatomic, warhead