Nuclear Weapons and Security Policy: Past and Present
Nuclear Basics

Types of Nuclear Weapons

There are several different ways to categorize nuclear weapons. 

Nuclear weapons can be categorized by the type of reaction:

  • Atomic bomb: The bomb dropped on Hiroshima was fueled by uranium; three days later, Nagasaki was attacked with a bomb fueled by plutonium. Both of these bombs are considered atomic bombs (one type of nuclear weapon), meaning their explosive power came from fission.
  • Hydrogen bomb: In the early 1950s, even more powerful bombs, called hydrogen or thermonuclear bombs, were developed using fusion. 

Watch this video to learn more about conventional weapons and the different types of nuclear weapons.

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Nuclear weapons can be categorized by how they reach their destination:

  • The delivery system, or how a nuclear weapon reaches its destination—on a missile launched from land or a submarine, or dropped from an airplane—is a further way to define these weapons.

Nuclear weapons can be categorized by their purpose:

  • A strategic nuclear weapon typically has a long range and would be used to attack an adversary from afar. A missile based in the United States with the intention of striking a target in another nation is one example of a strategic weapon.
  • A tactical nuclear weapon usually travels with the military to be used in local situations. If two nations were involved in a conflict and one nation made battlefield use of a nuclear weapon, that weapon would be considered a tactical weapon. These weapons are often smaller, some even fitting into a backpack, and with a shorter range than strategic weapons.

A weapon that is related to nuclear weapons is the dirty bomb.

  • A dirty bomb is a collection of radioactive material connected to a conventional explosive device used to spread the dangerous matter. It is not technically a nuclear weapon, but because it causes radiation contamination, it relates to nuclear security.

Take Notes

1. Use information from pages 3 and 4 in this lesson and from the video to fill in the graphic organizer with differences between conventional and nuclear weapons.

2. Although tactical weapons are typically smaller and do not travel as far as strategic nuclear weapons, they are still dangerous. Consider possible consequences of using tactical nuclear weapons and give two reasons why their use should be considered risky or dangerous.