1949–51 Soviet nuclear tests
| 1949–1951 | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Test site | Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan |
| Period | 1949–1951 |
| Number of tests | 3 |
| Test type | air drop, tower |
| Max. yield | 42 kilotonnes of TNT (180 TJ) |
| Test series chronology | |
The Soviet Union's 1949–1951 nuclear test series was a group of 3 nuclear tests conducted in 1949–1951. These tests preceded the 1953 Soviet nuclear tests series.
| Name | Date time (UT) | Local time zone | Location | Elevation + height | Delivery, Purpose |
Device | Yield | Fallout | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (Joe 1) | 29 August 1949 00:00:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°26′17″N 77°48′51″E / 50.43794°N 77.81409°E | 278 m (912 ft) + 30 m (98 ft) | tower, weapons development |
RDS-1 | 22 kt | By Beria's instruction, this was an exact copy of the USA's Fat Man. The name Pyervaya Molniya (First Lightning) first appeared in the 1990s. | ||
| 2 (Joe 2) | 24 September 1951 06:19:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°26′N 77°50′E / 50.43°N 77.83°E | 279 m (915 ft) + 30 m (98 ft) | tower, weapons development |
RDS-2 | 38.3 kt | |||
| 3 (Joe 3) | 18 October 1951 03:53:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°25′19″N 77°47′22″E / 50.422046°N 77.789446°E | 279 m (915 ft) + 380 m (1,250 ft) | air drop, weapons development |
RDS-3 | 42 kt | The first bomb drop test. |