W33 AFAP on display (left)
W33 (M422) nuclear artillery projectile in its storage container
The **W33** (also known as the **Mark 33**, **T317** and **M422**) was an American nuclear artillery shell designed for use in the ৮-ইঞ্চি (২০৩ মিমি) M110 howitzer and M115 howitzer.

A total of 2,000 W33 projectiles were produced, with the first production warheads entering the stockpile in 1957. The W33 remained in service until 1992. The warhead used enriched uranium (code named *oralloy*) as its nuclear fissile material and could be used in two different yield configurations. This required the assembly and insertion of different pits, with the amount of fissile materials used controlling whether the destructive yield was low or high. The highest-yield version of the W33 may have been a boosted fission weapon.

ইতিহাস
------

Development of the W33 was authorized by the Army Ordnance Corps in June 1953. It was believed that a shell capable of being fired by a standard mobile field howitzer would be more effective while also providing a psychological effect in ground warfare. The design would also include consideration for being fired from navy ৮-ইঞ্চি (২০৩ মিমি) guns, and would use nuclear components from the W9 ১১-ইঞ্চি (২৮০ মিমি) nuclear artillery shell.

The initial army designation for the weapon was **Shell, AE, 8-inch, T317** and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) nomenclature was **Mark 33**. The army were assigned the task of designing, constructing and stockpiling the non-nuclear components of the weapon, while the AEC were assigned the design and construction of the nuclear components.

The design remained in the research and development phase until funds were assigned to the project in February 1954. In April it was decided the weapon needed to be in service by July 1955, so the program was placed on a crash basis. The first Emergency Capability (EC) weapons entered the stockpile in July 1955. Production (non-EC) weapons were produced from January 1957 to January 1965. Approximately 2000 weapons were produced and all were retired by September 1992.

অস্ত্রের নকশা
-------------

The weapon used nuclear components from the W9 ১১-ইঞ্চি (২৮০ মিমি) nuclear artillery shell, and these in turn were derived from the nuclear components in the Mark 8 nuclear bomb. From official sources, the weapon was of the gun-type design and had a range of ১৮ কিলোমিটার (১১ মা).

Information regarding the W33 has suggested that it was either a double gun and/or that it may have used an annular barrel assembly. The device's internal mechanism was apparently code-named *Fleegle*. A double gun mechanism reduces the required velocity of each projectile by half, which reduces the gun system weight by a factor of 8. An annular bore may allow a larger projectile which remains subcritical by itself (a hollow projectile has lower effective density, and critical mass scales with the square of density). Titanium was used to reduce weight of some components. Judging by the remaining photographic evidence, it is likely that the exterior casing of the artillery shell itself was made of titanium. This is plausible, given that the copper-alloy driving band around the base of the shell is the only part of the shell which engages with the rifling on the artillery piece's barrel.

The W33 mechanism has been reported to have comprised two critical nuclear parts which were required to assemble a complete W33 warhead. The initial disassembly of stockpiled W33 warheads in 1992 proceeded first by disassembling all existing parts for one of the components, and then disassembling the other one in following years.

The weapon had four yield variants, known as the **Y1** through **Y4**, and written using the standard nomenclature in the form of **W33Y1** etc. The yield of each type remains classified, but it has been alleged that the Y2 version had a yield of ৪০ kilotonnes of TNT (১৭০ টেজু) and the other versions were ৫ থেকে ১০ kilotonnes of TNT (২১ থেকে ৪২ টেজু).

Use control to prevent unauthorized firing of the weapon was provided by a cover fitted to the rear of the weapon with a combination lock. The cover prevented loading of the weapon into a gun.

পরীক্ষণ
-------

The W33 is the third known model of gun-type fission weapons to have been detonated, and the second as a test explosion. The W33 was tested twice, first in Operation Plumbbob Laplace, on September 8, 1957 with a yield of ১ kilotonne of TNT (৪.২ টেজু), and the TX-33Y2 in Operation Nougat Aardvark on May 12, 1962, with a yield of ৪০ kilotonnes of TNT (১৭০ টেজু).

Neither test involved firing a W33 from an actual howitzer. Plumbbob Laplace was test fired with the device hanging from a balloon at an altitude of ২৩০ মিটার (৭৫০ ফু). Nougat Aardvark was test fired underground at a depth of ৪৩৪ মিটার (১,৪২৪ ফু).

Prior gun-type detonations were the Little Boy Mark-2 nuclear weapon used on Hiroshima in World War II, and a test firing of the W9 ২৮০-মিলিমিটার (১১ ইঞ্চি) nuclear artillery shell in test shot Upshot-Knothole Grable on May 25, 1953.

আরও দেখুন
---------

* List of nuclear weapons
* W79 Artillery-Fired Atomic Projectile

তথ্যসূত্র
---------

1. ↑  Thomas B Cochran; William M Arkin; Milton M Hoenig (১৯৮৪)। Nuclear Weapons Databook, Volume I: US Nuclear Forces and Capabilities (পিডিএফ) (প্রতিবেদন)। Natural Resources Defense Council। পৃষ্ঠা 47। ২০২১-০৯-০১ তারিখে মূল (পিডিএফ) থেকে আর্কাইভ করা। সংগ্রহের তারিখ ২০২১-০৬-২২। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link)
2. ↑  "US Nuclear Stockpile" (পিডিএফ)। Archived from the original on ২০১২-০৩-৩১। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link) উদ্ধৃতি শৈলী রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ: বট: আসল-ইউআরএলের অবস্থা অজানা (link)
3. 1 2 3  "List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons"। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link)
4. 1 2 3 4 5  History of Gun Type Artillery Fired Atomic Projectiles Marks 9, 19, 23, 32 and 33 Shells (প্রতিবেদন)। Sandia। মে ১৯৬৭। SC-M-67-659। ২০২১-০৯-০১ তারিখে মূল থেকে আর্কাইভ করা। সংগ্রহের তারিখ ২০১৯-১১-১০। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link)
5. 1 2  Sandia Weapon Review: Nuclear Weapon Characteristics Handbook (পিডিএফ) (প্রতিবেদন)। Sandia National Labs। সেপ্টেম্বর ১৯৯০। পৃষ্ঠা 60। SAND90-1238। ২০২২-০১-১২ তারিখে মূল (পিডিএফ) থেকে আর্কাইভ করা। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link)
6. ↑  Nuclear Weapons FAQ sect 4.1.6.1 Gun Assembly v 2.04, Carey Sublette, 1999. Accessed June 4, 2006.
7. ↑  Testimony of Dr. E. Beckner to House Appropriations Committee regarding nuclear weapons program status for FY 1994 budget, April 28, 1993, at   ওয়েব্যাক মেশিনে আর্কাইভকৃত ২০০৭-০৩-১১ তারিখে. Accessed June 5, 2006.
8. ↑  George H. W. Bush (২ জুলাই ১৯৯১)। National Security Directive: FY 1991-1996 Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Plant (U) (পিডিএফ) (প্রতিবেদন)। The White House। পৃষ্ঠা 5। ১৫ এপ্রিল ২০১৬ তারিখে মূল (পিডিএফ) থেকে আর্কাইভ করা। উদ্ধৃতি টেমপ্লেট ইংরেজি প্যারামিটার ব্যবহার করেছে (link)
9. ↑  Chronological Listing of Above Ground Nuclear Detonations 1956-1957  ওয়েব্যাক মেশিনে আর্কাইভকৃত ২০০৬-০৯-২৬ তারিখে compiled by William Johnston, 2005; accessed June 2, 2006.
10. ↑  Database of nuclear tests, United States: part 1, 1945-1963  ওয়েব্যাক মেশিনে আর্কাইভকৃত ২০০৬-০৪-০৬ তারিখে compiled by William Johnston, 2005; accessed June 2, 2006.
11. ↑  Operation Nougat at the nuclearweaponarchive.org website, Carey Sublette; accessed June 2, 2006.
12. ↑  Operation Nougat nuclearweaponarchive.org website, Carey Sublette; accessed Jan. 13, 2013
13. ↑  Sandia 1967 History of Mk 4 bomb  ওয়েব্যাক মেশিনে আর্কাইভকৃত ২০২১-০৯-০১ তারিখে Document, Sandia Laboratories; Accessed Nov. 10, 2019

বহিঃসংযোগ
---------

* Allbombs.html list of all US nuclear weapons models at nuclearweaponarchive.org
* Historical nuclear weapons list at GlobalSecurity.org