1955 Soviet nuclear tests
| 1955 | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Test site | Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan; NZ Area A, Chyornaya Guba, Novaya Zemlya, Russia |
| Period | 1955 |
| Number of tests | 7 |
| Test type | air drop, dry surface, underwater |
| Max. yield | 1.6 megatonnes of TNT (6.7 PJ) |
| Test series chronology | |
The Soviet Union's 1955 nuclear test series was a group of 7 nuclear tests conducted in 1955. These tests followed the 1954 Soviet nuclear tests series and preceded the 1956 Soviet nuclear tests series.
| Name | Date time (UT) | Local time zone | Location | Elevation + height | Delivery, Purpose |
Device | Yield | Fallout | References | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (Joe 15) | 29 July 1955 02:00:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan ~ 50°24′N 77°48′E / 50.4°N 77.8°E | 280 m (920 ft) + 2 m (6 ft 7 in) | dry surface, weapons development |
RDS-9 | 1.3 kt | Tests of the T-5 torpedo warhead RDS-9. | ||
| 20 (Joe 16) | 2 August 1955 03:00:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°22′19″N 77°49′30″E / 50.372°N 77.825°E | 280 m (920 ft) + 2 m (6 ft 7 in) | dry surface, weapons development |
RDS-9 | 12 kt | Tests of the T-5 torpedo warhead RDS-9. | ||
| 21 | 5 August 1955 | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°22′19″N 77°49′30″E / 50.372°N 77.825°E | 280 m (920 ft) + 1 m (3 ft 3 in) | dry surface, weapons development |
RDS-9 | 1.2 kt | Tests of the T-5 torpedo warhead RDS-9. | ||
| unnumbered #1 | 21 September 1955 | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°22′19″N 77°49′30″E / 50.372°N 77.825°E | 280 m (920 ft) + | dry surface, |
no yield | ||||
| 22 (Joe 17) | 21 September 1955 05:00:54 | MSK (3 hrs) |
NZ Area A, Chyornaya Guba, Novaya Zemlya, Russia 70°42′11″N 54°36′00″E / 70.703°N 54.6°E | 0–12 m (39 ft) | underwater, weapon effect |
RDS-9/T-5 torpedo | 3.5 kt | First test at NTSNZ of a torpedo design. 30 ships arrayed around the blast, some quite new. Sunk and damaged several. | ||
| 23 (Joe 18) | 6 November 1955 04:50:?? | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan ~ 50°24′45″N 77°46′28″E / 50.412434°N 77.774549°E | 280 m (920 ft) + 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | air drop, weapons development |
RDS-27 | 250 kt | aka RDS-27, boosted fission. | ||
| 24 Binarnaya (Binary)? (Joe 19) | 22 November 1955 | ALMT (6 hrs) |
Ground Zero, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan 50°25′N 77°47′E / 50.42°N 77.78°E | 280 m (920 ft) + 1,550 m (5,090 ft) | air drop, weapons development |
RDS-37 | 1.6 Mt | aka RDS-37, Soviet superbomb. 2 stage radiation implosion (Sakharov's "third idea", the equivalent to the Teller-Ullam design). Two people were killed in collapses because an inversion layer focused the energy, 47 other injuries. |