Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is a type of ordnance where nuclear reactions are harnessesd for their destructive effect. Using nuclear fission and/or fusion as a source of energy. The yield of a nuclear weapon is measured in the number of tons of "TNT" needed to generate an explosion of similar proportions.
An operational idiosyncrasy of nuclear weapons was the result of containing fissile material. Fissile material emitted a readily detectable Čerenkov Radiation signature upon exiting slipspace that negated stealth measures, NOT to be confused with the atomic bomb.Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 22, page ??
== For Reference ==
The nuclear yields of three real-world atomic weapons are shown:
"Fat Man" Atom Bomb (Last nuclear device used in war, 1945): ~21 Kilotons TNT
Mk. 17 Hydrogen Bomb (Largest-yield US nuclear device, mid-1950s): 25 Megatons TNT
Tsar Bomba/Emperor Bomb (Most powerful nuclear weapon ever tested, 1961): 50 Megatons TNT
==UNSC Nuclear Ordnance==
The UNSC employs a range of nuclear ordnance.
===FENRIS Nuclear Warhead===
The FENRIS is a type of low-yield thermonuclear device. They were slated for decommissioning but munition expenditures during the Human-Covenant war saw the survivors return to service.Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 1, page ??Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 23, page ??Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 24, page ??Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, Chapter 39, page ??
===Medium Fusion Destructive Device===
The MFDD is a tactical nuclear device with a yield of approximately 15 kilotons. Due to their apparent similarities, the MFDD may actually be related to the Fury nuke.Halo: Reach: Deliver Hope trailer
===Fury Tactical Nuclear Weapon===
The Fury is a small device with a yield slightly less than a megaton. It is extremely clean. It is the "closest thing the UNSC has to a nuclear grenade."Halo: First Strike, Chapter 1, page ??
===HAVOK Nuclear Warhead===
The HAVOK is a 30 megaton thermonuclear device. Its warhead may be removed and carried by a F-41 Exoatmospheric Multirole Strike Fighter. Some were delivered by ground forces during the Human-Covenant War.Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 200Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 212Halo Wars: Genesis, page 17 It saw continued service in the Post-war era.Halo 4, Composer
===HORNET Mine===
The HORNET is a 30 megaton space mine. The devices are stealthy and carried aboard UNSC prowlers.Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 325
===NOVA Bomb===
The NOVA is a strategic device, and undoubtedly humanity's most powerful weapon. It consists of 9 nuclear warheads encased in a lithium triteride shell, which is compressed during detonation, boosting the yield "a hundred-fold."Halo: First Strike, page 180 A single NOVA has enough power to cause complete devastation on a planetary scale, and can destroy orbiting moons and Naval fleets.Halo: Ghosts of Onyx, page 244
===Shiva-class Nuclear Missile===
The Shiva is a type of starship ordnance.Halo: The Fall of Reach, pages 147, 322-324Halo: The Cole Protocol, page ?? Its warhead may be removed and carried by a C709 Longsword-class Interceptor.Halo Encyclopedia, page ??
==Jiralhanae Nuclear Ordnance==
While no specific iterations are mentioned by name, the Jiralhanae are known to have nearly obliterated all life on Doisac with nuclear weaponry during a pre-Covenant conflict.
==Sources==
Category:Nuclear Weapons‎