physics

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Medium Atomic Demolition Munition rather than just read about it. In short: Medium Atomic Demolition Munition (MADM) was a tactical nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. It was an atomic demolition munition (ADM), a combat engineering device for demolition of structures and for battlefield shaping.

Key takeaways

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Medium Atomic Demolition Munition to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Medium Atomic Demolition Munition from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition (MADM) was a tactical nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War. It was an atomic demolition munition (ADM), a combat engineering device for demolition of structures and for battlefield shaping. The device contained a W45 warhead with an estimated yield of 0.5 to 15 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 to 62.8 TJ). Each MADM weighed 391 pounds (177 kg) in its transportation container. They were deployed between 1962 and 1986. In service, the MADM was known as the M167, M172 and M175 Atomic Demolition Charges (ADCs).

History The history of the MADM began in 1954 with the proposal for a light-weight multi-purpose warhead. Its predecessor, the first atomic demolition munition (ADM), was deployed in the same year. This was a low-yield weapon (0.5 to 15 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 to 63 TJ)) used by special forces and commando teams to destroy enemy infrastructure such as bridges tunnels, and harbors, among others. The MADM warhead was designed to be economical in nuclear material, having a diameter of less than 15 inches (380 mm), and it was hoped that the device could be broken down into sub-40-pound (18 kg) components for carriage and assembly in the field. The program languished for several years, with Los Alamos and Sandia in a joint letter suggesting that warheads in the range of 12 to 18 inches (300 to 460 mm) were possible. At one point, the W25 warhead for the AIR-2 Genie missile was considered for the application. The program for the W45 was authorized in January 1956. In addition to MADM, the program was to develop warheads for Nike I, Little John, Terrier and ASROC. Possible devices for the program were tested in Operations Redwing and Plumbbob. In August 1956, it was decided that the ASROC warhead would be assigned to LASL as the XW-44, while the other warheads including MADM would be given to the University of California Radiation Laboratory (UCRL) (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) with the designation XW-45. In February 1957, it was believed that the weapon could be design released by mid-1958 with production beginning a year later. In March 1957, it was suggested that the W44 and W45 programs be consolidated. This proposal was later abandoned. At this point, it was believed the design would have a maximum diameter of 11.75 inches (298 mm), a length of 27 inches (690 mm), and a weight of 150 pounds (68 kg). Major components of the weapon were sourced from other weapon systems. In September 1957, the warhead operational availability date was delayed by 14 months. In February 1958, for still-classified reasons, the weapon received a significant redesign and a new developmental name: XW-45-X1. This, however, increased the weapon diameter to 12.75 inches (324 mm) and made the warhead incompatible with Little John without substantial redesign. In the interest of economics and stockpile simplification, it was decided to revert to the original XW-45 design in February 1959. In January 1960, the MADM version of the W45 was assigned the name W45 Mod 1. This version of the warhead was only different from the W45 Mod 0 used in Little John and Terrier in that it had no environmental sensing device, the ADM role having precluded the possibility of such a device. Instead, the warhead received a three-digit combination padlock to restrict access to the device. War reserve production was achieved in April 1962. In October 1963, the army informed the Atomic Energy Commission that the usefulness of the weapon was limited by the inability to emplace the weapon underwater or in backfilled holes. Sandia and Livermore replied in December 1963, proposing a watertight case for the weapon featuring waterproof cables and connectors. A prototype was demonstrated in January 1963 and production of the case was authorized the following month. At about the same time, it was proposed that the weapon be fitted with a Permissive Action Link (PAL), consisting of a five-digit coded switch. This was accepted and implemented on the subsequent W45 Mod 2. When the Mod 2 weapon was incorporated into its new protective case, the weapon became the W45 Mod 3. Early production of the Mod 3 began in July 1965. The MADM was retired in 1984.

Design

The weapon was a boosted, externally-initiated device. It was allegedly a Swan-type weapon utilizing an air-lens. The yield was reportedly 0.5 to 15 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 to 63 TJ). The weapon was designed so it could be detonated by a timer of up to 21 days, by radio or by field wire, and featured a waterproof protective case. In its waterproof case, the weapon was 42 inches (1.1 m) long, 24 inches (0.61 m) wide, 28 inches (0.71 m) high and weighed 391 pounds (177 kg).

MADM use

Offensive use ADM employment manuals describe the use of ADMs tactically in both offensive and defensive operations. In offensive operations, ADMs are described as being useful for improving flank and rear security of a unit, impeding counterattacks, and assisting in enemy entrapment.

Engineering and defensive use ADM employment manuals describe the use of ADMs defensively for combat engineering purposes. Possible targets described include bridges, dams, canals, tunnels, airfields, railroad marshaling yards, ports and industrial plants, and power facilities. Extensive tables were provided to enable the selection of the correct yield for each particular target. These tables accounted for various employment particulars such as depth of burial, fallout considerations, and minimum safe separation distances between adjacent weapons and personnel.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Medium Atomic Demolition Munition

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Medium Atomic Demolition Munition claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Medium Atomic Demolition Munition before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Medium Atomic Demolition Munition ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Medium Atomic Demolition Munition

In research: Medium Atomic Demolition Munition appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Medium Atomic Demolition Munition in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Medium Atomic Demolition Munition is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1965 establishments in the United States, 1965 introductions, Cold War stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Medium Atomic Demolition Munition outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Medium Atomic Demolition Munition in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Medium Atomic Demolition Munition means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Medium Atomic Demolition Munition out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Medium Atomic Demolition Munition in simple terms?

Why does Medium Atomic Demolition Munition matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Medium Atomic Demolition Munition?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Medium Atomic Demolition Munition.