When America Fielded Nuclear Bazookas
Atomic bazookas are as “America” as America gets, and in the Cold War we developed and deployed them. The Davy Crockett Weapon System was a smoothbore recoilless rifle that fired a tactical nuclear explosive. The M-28 version had a range of 1.25 miles, and the M-29 version doubled that, with a range of up to 2.5 miles. Developed in the 1950s, over 2000 Davy Crocketts and their launch systems were deployed in West Germany and Korea from 1961 to 1971. The weapon was notoriously inaccurate – although in light of its warhead, pinpoint accuracy was not a necessity.
The Davy Crockett’s deadliness stemmed more from its radioactivity than from its explosive yield. The warhead produced an instantly lethal dose of radiation within a 500 foot radius, and an incapacitating and likely fatal dose within a quarter mile. As such, the weapon was more of a broad area radiation dispenser than a surgical smart bomb. In addition to the long term contamination hazard, it was dangerous to its own users. The firing team and other NATO personnel nearby could fall victim to radiation from their own side’s nuke.