W50 (nuclear warhead)
The W50 was an American thermonuclear warhead used on the MGM-31 Pershing short range nuclear missile. It was also used on the LIM-49 Nike Zeus anti-ballistic missile, but this program was cancelled before deployment. The W50 was developed by the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
There were two major variants produced, in three yield options. All variants were in diameter and long, weighing.
The W50 used the Tsetse primary design for its first fission stage, along with several mid and late 1950s designs. The W50 is thought to have been the source of the W78 warhead's fusion second stage design.
The W50 was manufactured from 1963 through 1965, with a total of 280 being produced. They were retired from service starting in 1973 with the last units retired in 1991.
