Operation Redwing

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Operation Redwing was a United States series of 17 nuclear test detonations from May to July 1956. They were conducted at Bikini and Eniwetok atolls. The entire operation followed Operation Wigwam and preceded Operation Plumbbob. The primary intention was to test new, second-generation thermonuclear devices. Fission devices intended to be used as primaries for thermonuclear weapons, and small tactical weapons for air defense were also tested. Redwing is notable for having demonstrated the first airdrop of a deliverable hydrogen bomb - test "Cherokee". Because the yields for many tests at Operation Castle in 1954 were dramatically higher than predictions, Redwing was conducted using an "energy budget" - there were limits to the total amount of energy released, and the amount of fission yield was also strictly controlled. Fission, primarily "fast" fission of the natural uranium tamper surrounding the fusion capsule, greatly increases the yield of thermonuclear devices, and contributes the vast majority of the fallout - fusion being a relatively clean reaction.

The following tests all took place in 1956. The dates are in local time, followed by the yield.

Redwing Tests[1]Test Name Date Location Yield Note Lacrosse 4 May 1956 Enewetak Atoll40 kilotons Cherokee 20 May 1956 Bikini Atoll3.8 megatons first airdrop of a thermonuclear bomb, specifically (Mark 15 nuclear bomb) Zuni 27 May 1956 Bikini Atoll3.5 megatons first test of three-stage thermonuclear design Yuma 27 May 1956 Enewetak190 tons a fizzle, but the device weighed only 96 pounds Erie 30 May 1956 Enewetak Atoll14.9 kilotons Seminole June 6, 1956 Enewetak Atoll13.7 kilotons exploded in a tank of water Flathead June 11, 1956 Bikini Atoll365 kilotons intended to be particularly "dirty" - a high-fallout weapon Blackfoot June 11, 1956 Enewetak Atoll8 kilotons Kickapoo June 13, 1956 Enewetak Atoll1.49 kilotons Osage June 16, 1956 Enewetak Atoll1.7 kilotons Inca June 21, 1956 Enewetak Atoll15.2 kilotons Dakota June 25, 1956 Bikini Atoll1.1 megatons Mohawk July 2, 1956 Enewetak Atoll360 kilotons Apache July 8, 1956 Bikini Atoll1.85 megatons Navajo July 10, 1956 Bikini Atoll4.5 megatons 95% fusion, the cleanest known US shot Tewa July 20, 1956 Bikini Atoll5 megatons dirty (87% fission, the highest percentage in any known US thermonuclear test) Huron July 21, 1956 Enewetak Atoll250 kilotons

All shots were named after various US Native American tribes.

References

^ Redwing test series from The Nuclear Weapons Archive retrieved 05/31/2008

Chuck Hansen, U. S. Nuclear Weapons: The Secret History (Arlington: AeroFax, 1988)
United States Nuclear Tests - DOE/NV--209-REV 15
United States Nuclear Tests at fas.org

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