B57 Tactical Nuclear Bomb

B57 Tactical Nuclear Bomb

The lightweight B57 was one of a new generation of tactical bombs: a thermonuclear weapon designed for the battlefield. Thermonuclear design uses both nuclear fusion - the reaction of hydrogen isotopes -and nuclear fission, resulting in a far more efficient bomb. Though nearly equal in destructive power, the B57 weighed 95% less than Fat Man. This streamlined atomic weapon could be dropped wherever the military needed, without sacrificing force.