Nothing moves progress as much as war. This is an absolute fact, albeit a very sad one. In order to defend its right on the territory, mankind invents simply fantastic mechanisms and principles that allow you to confront the enemy, have an advantage in strength and power.
60s know-how
One of the incredible inventions was mastered by Soviet physicists during the Cold War. The news that atomic bullets were created and tested by domestic experts in defense technologies has been revealed relatively recently and has become a real sensation. All documentation about secret developments was kept in seven seals.
Only after the Soviet Union collapsed, and Semipalatinsk became part of sovereign Kazakhstan, secret information began to leak into the media. Then it became known that atomic bullets are. The description and characteristics of this fantastic weapon made many people wonder. It was not entirely clear how such a tiny nuclear weapon could melt a huge armored tank and wipe a multi-story building from the face of the earth.
Mal yes yes
Yes, the size of these bullets was really small for the scale of atomic weapons. The ammunition had a caliber of 14.3 mm and 12.7 mm and was intended for heavy machine guns. But scientists did not stop there and created a bullet with a caliber of only 7.62 mm specifically for the Kalashnikov machine gun. To this day, there is no atomic shell around the world that could compare with such a tiny ammunition.
The basis for any nuclear weapon 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 at which it must work and carry out an explosion. For uranium and plutonium, this parameter is at least 1 kilogram. It is logical that the question arises in the head: “What are atomic bullets made of? How can one fit such power in such a small caliber? ”
What's inside an 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 of 252 units. Surprisingly, the critical mass of the California isotope is only 1.8 g. But this is not the most important advantage of an amazing substance. During its decay, California 252 exhibits the property of efficient nuclear fission 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 make 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.
Scientists can use two methods to obtain California. The simplest 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 the most effective, since it makes it possible to obtain a neutron flux with a density many times higher than that in a nuclear reactor. However, this way of extracting California requires continuous nuclear testing, since mass production of atomic bullets requires replenishment of the necessary raw materials.
What does a miniature atomic shell look like?
Having studied the documentation for this project, you can imagine what atomic bullets look like. Their device is incredibly simple. The base of the bullet is a tiny piece of California that weighs no more than 6 grams. In its shape, it resembles a dumbbell, consisting of two hemispheres with a thin jumper.
The explosives inside the shell are packed in the form of a compact ball whose diameter for a bullet with a caliber of 7.62 mm is 8 mm. Such dimensions are sufficient to ensure a supercritical state and provoke a nuclear explosion. The atomic bullets, the photos of which you see below, contain a contact type fuse inside. It provides undermining the charge. This is a simple device of a weapon bomb. It is worth noting that the weight of such a bullet turned out to be much heavier than the usual counterpart. In order for the ballistic properties of the invention to be on top, 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 project of the USSR to develop and introduce into the armament of this invention was curtailed for the most part due to the fact that the shells were very hot. With the decay of California, intense heat generation occurs. This phenomenon is natural, since all radioactive substances are heated during decay. This effect is more intense the shorter the half-life. Thus, an atomic bullet filled with California generated up to 5 watts of thermal energy. Along with this process, the properties of the explosive and the fuse itself changed. The most dangerous thing was that a quick and strong warming up could lead to a jamming of a bullet in a chamber or in a barrel, and there was also a great danger of a spontaneous explosion of a bullet when fired.
In connection with these circumstances, it was found that the storage of atomic bullets requires a specialized refrigerator. This unit was a 15 cm thick copper plate equipped with sockets for 30 rounds. In the space between the shells, the refrigerant, which served as liquid ammonia, was set in motion through the channels under pressure. This system provided the projectiles with the required temperature of -15 ° C. The refrigeration unit was characterized by increased energy consumption (200 watts) and a heavy weight of 110 kg. Moving this design was possible only when using special vehicles, which caused a lot of inconvenience.
In a classic-type bomb device, a charge-cooling system is also an indispensable structural element, but it is located inside. In the case of atomic bullets, the need for an external reduction in the temperature of shells was recognized.
The peculiarity of using such bullets was as follows: they were stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of -15 ° C. After the shell was removed from the storage, it was necessary to use it for half an hour. During this period of time, it was necessary to install a bullet in the gun store, place on a firing position, aim with the required accuracy and fire. If the fighter did not manage to keep within this interval, then the bullet should be returned to the refrigerator for storage. A projectile that has lain for more than an hour without appropriate storage conditions must be destroyed by special equipment.
Features of atomic bullets
Scientists have identified another serious flaw that characterized atomic bullets. Tests of these shells showed a high degree of instability of the indicators of energy released during the explosion. This indicator could vary from 100 to 700 kg in TNT equivalent. Its value 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 the nature of the explosion. They are very different from the usual atomic bomb and chemical explosives, when bursting which emit huge volumes of hot gases. Their temperature reaches hundreds of thousands of degrees. A small ball with a small amount of charge is not physically capable of communicating to its environment all the power of nuclear decay.
We can imagine how powerful an explosion will be, even from 100 kg of explosives. Atomic bullets are characterized by a weaker blast wave, but in terms of radiation level they exceeded their chemical counterparts. In connection with this circumstance, these shells could only be used to hit the most distant targets. However, even this could not protect the shooter from significant exposure. Snipers using atomic bullets were not allowed to shoot in long bursts and fire more than three shots.
Where can these bullets be used?
You must admit that these shells are quite a whimsical use of military ammunition, and the question naturally arises: “Where are atomic bullets used? For what purpose are they indispensable? ” The armor of a modern tank is strong enough for a shell to pierce through it. However, this was not required. When hit in a tank, an atomic bullet generates such an amount of 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 unusable item. One atomic bullet can turn a cubic meter of brickwork into dust.
Colossus on clay feet
But this colossus also has its own vulnerability. It is known for certain that if atomic bullets fall into the aquatic environment, then a nuclear explosion does not occur. This is because this liquid medium has the ability to slow down and reflect neutrons. This property was taken into account by scientists and Soviet tanks began to protect with water tanks. A kind of armor protected combat vehicles from enemy bullets with California.
Costly, unpredictable and exotic
The history of the creation of atomic bullets was forced to sink into oblivion along with the introduction of a moratorium on testing weapons with nuclear potential. The whole problem was that those reserves of California, which were obtained through powerful explosions, disappear quite quickly.
There was only an alternative way to obtain it - using an atomic reactor. However, this method was considered expensive, and the yield of the valuable element was small. Such circumstances were reinforced by the absence of an urgent need for the further development of the development of atomic bullets. The leadership of the country's defense forces decided that the enemy can be destroyed with ammunition, which does not require so many efforts to produce, store and move. In this regard, the project "Atomic Bullets" of the USSR turned and sent dust on the shelves of secret archives.
You can now see the developments of those years, most likely, somewhere in museums or in private collections of rarities, but their effectiveness has long been lost. The fact is that the shelf life of bullet data is limited to six years. Perhaps, at present, studies are underway to improve miniature atomic shells with californium, but titanic work should be carried out in order to make them convenient for use and reduce the cost of their production. It is quite difficult to resist the laws of physics. Like it or not, atomic bullets with California as a filling have negative characteristics:
- become very hot during storage;
- need constant cooling;
- they must be used no later than half an hour after defrosting;
- unstable and unregulated power of a charge explosion;
- become harmless when released into the environment with water;
- California production in a nuclear reactor is a lengthy and expensive process.
The combination of these circumstances and became the reason that an incredible project called "Atomic bullets" of the USSR mothballed until better times. The point is not even that for the further development of this military weaponry it was a pity money. The country's leadership considered this project inappropriate and too exotic for the beginning of the 80s.
At the moment, Russia is armed with 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 from liquid nitrogen and is also not cheap. However, this does not serve as a reason for the Ministry of Defense to consider this weaponry unnecessarily complicated in design and inappropriate.
Maintaining the military power of the state justifies the use of such expensive technologies. Perhaps in the future a portable mini-cooling system for atomic bullets will be developed, and they will be in service with the most ordinary soldiers.
Small Nuclear Weapons Development in the USA
About who first invented atomic bullets, and now disputes do not subside. The first mention of ultra-small and powerful weapons came back in the 60s of the last century, when the situation in the world pushed the development of the military industry. The issue of arming with striking mechanisms was then very acute, and two superpowers - the USA and the USSR - went side by side in creating nuclear technologies to maintain military parity. Many scientists tend to believe that atomic bullets are the work of the minds and hands of American experts. The basis of their development is the idea of destroying living creatures within a certain radius of the projectile with the help of a special damaging gas released during a nuclear reaction. In the USSR, the development of atomic bullets was a prospect for confronting a potential enemy.
Today, the debate around this project has subsided, it would seem that the topic remained in the last century. However, recent publications by the American media have made everyone remember what atomic bullets are. In Texas, a group of physicists performed a series of experiments related to testing a bomb stuffed with 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, an amount of energy was released that exceeded the initiation costs by 60 times. In terms of quality, the radiation obtained consisted mainly of the gamma spectrum, which is harmful to living organisms. The destructive ability of hafnium is equivalent to 50 kg of TNT. This type of weapon accepts the rules for using atomic-style mini-bombs or mini-nukes, which are described in the Bush Security Doctrine.
It is not known for certain whether the development of this issue is underway in Russia, however, perhaps in the near future our scientists will have something to answer to the development of their American colleagues.