W76 thermonuclear warhead

E377962

The W76 thermonuclear warhead is a U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missile warhead designed for strategic nuclear deterrence, featuring a compact design and variable-yield capabilities.

All labels observed (7)

Label Occurrences
W76 warhead 3
W76 thermonuclear warhead canonical 2
W76 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf U.S. nuclear warhead
thermonuclear warhead
approximateLength about 1.7 meters
approximateWeight around 160 kilograms
armsControlContext referenced in U.S. nuclear posture reviews
compactDesign yes
compatibleMissile UGM-133 Trident II
UGM-96 Trident I
linked to: Trident I C4
countryOfOrigin United States
deliveryEnvironment submerged launch from SSBNs
deployedAs multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle payload
deployedOn Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines
deploymentPlatform submarine-launched ballistic missile
designedBy Los Alamos National Laboratory
designedFor second-strike capability
designType two-stage thermonuclear
deterrenceConcept assured retaliation
developmentStart early 1970s
enteredLifeExtensionProgram early 2000s
era Cold War
governingAgency National Nuclear Security Administration
guidanceContext MIRV reentry vehicle payload
lifeExtensionProgramName W76-1 LEP
modernizedVariant W76-1
W76-2
operator United States Navy
originalVariant W76-0
purposeOfW76-2 provide lower-yield strategic option
reentryVehicleType Mk 4 reentry vehicle
role strategic nuclear deterrent
safetyFeatures enhanced safety and security in W76-1
serviceEntry around 1978
late 1970s
status in active service
storageAndAssemblySite Pantex Plant
strategicImportance primary U.S. sea-based nuclear warhead for decades
strategicRole countervalue and counterforce targeting
successorOrComplement W88 thermonuclear warhead
treatyRelevance subject to New START counting rules
usedOnWeaponSystem Trident I C4
Trident II D5
user U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines
variableYieldCapability implemented via different variants (W76-0, W76-1, W76-2)
W76-1Yield approximately 90 kilotons of TNT
W76-2Yield low-yield (single-digit kilotons)
warheadFamily U.S. Trident SLBM warheads
yield approximately 100 kilotons of TNT

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Trident II D5 warheadModel W76 thermonuclear warhead
subject linked to: Trident II D5 missile
U.S. thermonuclear weapons program developedWeapon W76 warhead
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
Nuclear Weapons Life Extension Programs appliesTo W76 warhead
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
Nuclear Weapons Life Extension Programs includes W76-1 Life Extension Program
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
Nuclear bombs of the United States hasPart W76 warhead
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
Nuclear bombs of the United States hasPart W76-1 warhead
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
Trident I C4 warheadModel W76
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
W76 thermonuclear warhead modernizedVariant W76-1
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
W76 thermonuclear warhead modernizedVariant W76-2
linked to: W76 thermonuclear warhead
W88 thermonuclear warhead successorTo W76 thermonuclear warhead