American Hiroshima

[erikboy (imported)]

While the explosive power of the W54—

up to an equivalent of 6 kiloton[5] of TNT—is not much by the normal standards of a nuclear weapon (the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II were around 16 to 21 kilotons each), their value lies in their ability to be easily smuggled across borders, transported by means widely available, and placed as close to the target as possible. Even a 1-kt. nuclear weapon would be many times more powerful than even the largest truck bombs for purposes of destroying a single building or target."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuke FULL ARTICLE

The reason why such nuclear weapons were not produced in numbers is the price/effect ratio I think. If we look at the materials that can be used and theory, then extremely pure materials are needed for creating chain reaction in a small amount of material. When 4% U-235 purification process is technologically and financially challenging then separation of plutonium and purification of its isotopes for achieving smaller critical masses is even more complicated. It is true that critical mass is achived by normal implosion compressing nuclear material to critical, but here are few comparisions of various materials critical masses:

Uranium-235 100% - 52kg

Plutonium-239 100% - 10kg

Plutonium-240 100% - 40kg

Californium-249 100% 6kg

Uranium-235 15% over 600kg

Nuclear material needed can be reduced further by using neutron reflectors, but at such a small yields, material purity is the key.

To highlight difficulties with purification - Plutonium 239 and 240 can not be separated chemically. Still, if material contains more than 7% of Plutonium 240, it is not used even in normal nuclear devices.

With small devices precision of implosion device becomes even more crucial. And that makes the miniaturisation even more difficult.

Such devices can easily be detected by irradiation their pure materials emit. Their shelf life probably isn't very great, as required pureness is lost to reactions and changes in material much faster than in normal nuclear devices.

So, it seems there are too many disadvantages of such device. It is probably more effective and cheaper to drop ordinary ammunition in greater amounts than use a small nuclear device.

[coinflipper_21 (imported)]

Any terrorist group that wants to set off a nuclear device in a city in the United States is either incredibly stupid or suicidally fanatical. It won't be an American Hiroshima, it will be another Pearl Harbor. A Muslim group doing this would run the risk of making the next Hajj a pilgrimage to a smoking crater.

[Riverwind (imported)]

Any terrorist group that wants to set off a nuclear device in a city in the United States is either incredibly stupid or suicidally fanatical. It won't be an American Hiroshima, it will be another Pearl Harbor. A Muslim group doing this would run the risk of making the next Hajj a pilgrimage to a smoking crater.

Yes a green glowing one.

River

[Kortpeel (imported)]

Isn't DNA testing amazing, the crazy jewish lady was my mother, now let's just forget about it...ok?

chilli-

Shalom Chilli, so that makes you a member of the chosen race. Congratulations.

But it must be difficult being Jewish if you weren't brought up to it. Still, I take it you aren't very orthodox?

Kortpeel