page_title: Area 27 (Nevada National Security Site)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Area 27 (Nevada National Security Site) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Nevada Test Site - Area 27. Super Kukla reactor being prepared for next test.
context_page_description: Area 27 is a division of the Nevada National Security Site. It occupies approximately 49 square miles in the south-central portion of the NNSS. A portion of Area 27 was originally known as Area 410.
  No tests of nuclear devices took place in Area 27.
context_section_description: Area 27 was used for weapons assembly and staging.
  The Super Kukla Reactor Facility was built in Area 27 and operated from 1965 to 1978. A major U.S. concern in the Cold War was Soviet use of defensive tactical nuclear weapons. Nuclear-armed interceptors and anti-ballistic missiles could be used to intercept a U.S. attack. To simulate nearby nuclear explosions, the Super Kukla reactor produced an ultrahigh burst of prompt critical neutrons and gamma rays. This could be used to test the effects on weapons hardware. Super Kukla is now entombed in place at Area 27.
caption: Super Kukla reactor being prepared for a test
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