The biggest and most powerful nuclear weapons ever built

World

Mk-36 nuclear bomb - 10Mt

The Mk-36 was a two-stage thermonuclear bomb used a multi-stage fusion to generate explosive force of up to 10Mt. Two versions, Y1 and Y2, were produced.

The Mk-36 was an upgraded variant of the Mark 21 which itself was a weaponised derivative of the "Shrimp" device. The US produced 940 Mk-36 bombs during 1956-1958 and converted 275 bombs into Mk-21s.

The Mk-36 was designed to be airdropped using two parachutes. All Mk36 nuclear bombs were retired by 1962 and replaced by B41 nuclear bombs.

B53 (Mk-53) - 9Mt

The B53/Mk-53 was the oldest and one of the highest yield nuclear bombs in the US inventory. The weapon had an estimated yield of 9Mt and was retired from the USAF service in 1997. It was deployed aboard B-47, B-52 and B-58 bombers.

The B53 nuclear bomb was a two-stage implosion weapon using highly enriched uranium and 95% enriched Lithium-6 deuteride fusion fuel. It was produced in two versions including B53-Y1 and B53-Y2.

The nuclear weapon was designed to be air dropped using five parachutes, while the free fall delivery was also possible by jettisoning the "can" with the parachutes.

Mk-16 (TX-16/EC-16) nuclear bomb - 7Mt

The Mk-16 hydrogen bomb was the only liquid fuel thermonuclear weapon ever built by the US. It was based on the Ivy Mike hydrogen bomb and had an estimated yield of up to 7MT.

The Mk-16 was built in Experimental/Emergency Capability (EC) variants and initially completed a drop test in December 1953. The weapon was deployed in EC version designated as EC-16.

The TX-16 bomb measured 61.4in in diameter and 296.7in in length. The weapon retired from the service by April 1954 as it was replaced by solid-fuelled thermonuclear weapons such as TX-14 and Mk-17.

Mk-14 / TX-14 - 6.9Mt

The Mk-14, which was the first fielded solid-fuel thermonuclear weapon of the US, yielded 6.9Mt when it was exploded during the Castle Union nuclear test in April 1954. The bomb used a non radioactive isotope of lithium (Li-6) instead of tritium.

The procurement for the TX-14 programme was approved in September 1952. The TX-14s in emergency-capability configuration were inducted into service in February 1954. The Mk-14s retired in October 1954 and some of them were recycled into the Mk-17 weapons by September 1956.

B-36 and B-47 bombers were used to carry TX-14s, and the rate of fall was decelerated by employing the parachute drop method.