SADM: what was an American nuclear bomb that could be carried in a bag

After the demonstrative use of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the United States did not stop there and continued to actively develop this type of weapon. This became especially relevant for Americans after 1949, when the USSR successfully conducted its first nuclear weapons tests.

It is worth noting that the States approached the process thoroughly. American engineers have invented all kinds of nuclear weapons, from air-to-air missiles and artillery shells to bombs that can be carried in a bag.



It was the latter that became one of the most unusual types of nuclear weapons.

The development of a “compact” atomic bomb, which could be carried by one person and delivered to the site of the intended explosion by a sabotage group, began in 1960. Already in 1964, the Americans had a Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM) project ready.

Externally, the device was a cylinder with a diameter of about 30 cm and weighing up to 26,5 kg. Such a miniature nuclear bomb could fit into a large bag and be carried by one person.

The installation of ammunition at the site of the alleged explosion was carried out as follows: after delivering the bomb to the desired point, one of the saboteurs opened the back cover of the above-mentioned cylinder, which was locked with a combination lock, like on a safe.

Underneath it was a detonation timer, which could be set for a period of time from 5 minutes to 12 hours.

Nothing is known about the power of this ammunition, however, according to some sources, it could reach 10 tons of TNT equivalent. This is not a very large figure for nuclear weapons, but it would be quite enough to complete the assigned tasks.

The latter amounted to the destruction of bridges, factories, military warehouses, power plants, etc.

For the delivery and installation of SADM in the United States, there were special DRGs, which were called “green teams”. The participants in such groups themselves compared themselves to Japanese kamikazes.

The fact is that the bomb had to be guarded almost until the moment of detonation, so that it would not fall into the hands of a potential enemy. Consequently, the chances of withdrawal for the DRG were extremely small.

However, fortunately, this weapon was never used for its intended purpose and was removed from service with the US Armed Forces in the late 80s. There were several reasons for this.

First, the aforementioned fear of the bomb being intercepted by a potential enemy.

Secondly, there are difficulties with storing and protecting such ammunition. Considering the fact that there were a lot of them, and they were located at different bases, a couple of such bombs could get “lost” and fall into the hands of terrorists.

Finally, thirdly, given the presence of nuclear weapons in the USSR, the Americans were well aware of the consequences of using SADM against their geopolitical enemy. Moreover, the Soviet Union also had many projects related to the development of varieties of these weapons.