Contact preclusion

Contact preclusion is a fuzing feature found in some nuclear weapons in which backup contact fuzes in a nuclear weapon can be disabled when the weapon is set to air burst fuzing.

When a nuclear attack is planned, the planner has the option of deciding if either air burst or ground burst fuzing will be used. Air burst has a larger damage radius against soft targets such as personnel or non-hardened buildings than ground bursts due to the Mach stem effect, however in the event the air burst fuze fails to actuate a contact fuze as backup is often included in the weapon. Though the damage radius will be reduced in this event, it is possible the target will still be destroyed.[1]

Ground bursts produce significant fallout that has the potential to be hazardous to civilians and friendly personnel.[1] Therefore, in some weapons exists the option for contact preclusion in the weapon's fuzing options. When enabled the weapon's contact fuze will not act as a backup fuze if the air burst fuze fails to actuate, precluding detonation, hence the name contact preclusion.[2]

Weapons with contact preclusion

See also

References
  1. National Research Council (2005). Effects of Nuclear Earth-Penetrator and Other Weapons. National Academies Press. ISBN 9780309096737. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  2. History of the Mk28 (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. August 1968. Archived from the original on 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  3. History of the TX-61 Bomb (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. August 1971. Archived from the original on 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  4. History of the Mk52 Warhead (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. January 1968. Archived from the original on 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  5. History of the Mk50 Warhead (Report). Sandia National Laboratories. January 1968. Archived from the original on 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
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