BABY ATOMIC BOMBS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27389, 15 May 1950, Page 5

BABY ATOMIC BOMBS

Production In America CARRIAGE BY JET PLANES NZPA—Copyright Rec. 7 p.m. WASHINGTON, May 12. The United States has produced baby atomic bombs small enough to be carried by jet planes, officials reported today, states the Associated Press. They said the small size did not mean the bombs were less powerful than full-sized types. The officials gave no hint about how powerful the baby atomic bombs could be, but the report prompted speculation that they might be more powerful than the early model atomic bombs dropped on Japan or tested at Bikini. The secret of the new bombs apparently lies in a non-explosive casing or envelope, called “ tamper,” which enables a reduction in the “ critical size ” of the bomb. The critical size of an atomic bomb is defined as the amount of fissionable material, such as uranium 235 or plutonium, which must be assembled to produce an explosion. With the disclosure of the baby bombs scientific observers suggested that improvements might have been made in tamper techniques and also in the technique for making varieties of bombs.