Mark 10 nuclear bomb

The Mark 10 nuclear bomb was a proposed American nuclear bomb based on the earlier Mark 8 nuclear bomb design. The Mark 10, like the Mark 8, is a Gun-type nuclear weapon, which rapidly assembles several critical masses of fissile nuclear material by firing a fissile projectile or "bullet" into a hollow opening in a larger fissile "target", using a system which closely resembles a medium sized cannon barrel and propellant.

The Mark 10 was intended to be a general purpose airburst nuclear weapon, unlike the Mark 8 which was intended to penetrate into the ground as a Nuclear bunker buster.

The Mark 10 was nicknamed the "Airburst Elsie"; the Mark 8 had been nicknamed the LC or Light Casing bomb, which was then expanded to "Elsie".

The Mark 10 was 12 inches in diameter and weighed 1,500 or 1,750 pounds. It had a design yield of 12 to 15 kilotons.

The Mark 10 design was cancelled in 1952, replaced by the implosion-type Mark 12 nuclear bomb which was lighter and used considerably less fissile nuclear material.