SM-65 Atlas Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile System 1956-1965
W-38 Thermonuclear Warhead
Payload Device for Atlas E and Atlas F Missiles
NOTE: ALL INFORMATION INCLUDED ON THIS PAGE HAS BEEN DECLASSIFIED AND IS AVAILABLE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN. NO INFORMATION OR DOCUMENTS CONTAIN ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION OF ANY KIND.
Nominal Yield: 3.75 Megatons (316 times Hiroshima - 12 Kilotons)
Weight: 3,080 lbs.
Development: 1956 to 1961
Designed By: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Number Built: 180
Manufactured: May 1961 thru January 1963
In Service: May 1961 thru May 1965
Retired: January 1965 thru May 1965
Deployment: 72 Atlas F, 27 Atlas E and 54 Titan 1 launchers
Length: 82.5 inches. 127 inches in RV.
Diameter: 32 inches
Detonation Mechanism: Contact or Airburst
Re-Entry Vehicle Used: Avco Mark 4 (Ablative)
Documents
History of Mk 38 Warhead - January 1968 (Sandia Labs)
W-38 History and Information (Courtesy of Grok )