USA T131 280mm Heavy Motorized Gun

This is the experimental model of the M65 atomic cannon. Adopted in 1956, the cannon could fire both nuclear and conventional shells up to 18 miles. The cannon weighs 47 tons and is mobile. The prime mover consists of both a front and a rear truck that can reach a maximum speed of 30 mph. The atomic cannon was replaced by more mobile rockets in the mid 1960s.

  • brsrklf@jlai.lu
    4·
    10 days ago

    I know little about weapons, but… they considered firing nuclear weapons from a cannon? Knowing they would reach only like 30km at best?

    I’d thought they were trying to do ballistic missiles from the beginning. I mean, they got Von Braun.

    • SSTF@lemmy.worldOP
      6·
      10 days ago

      The warheads were 20 kilotons, which had a blast radius of about a mile. Given the 18 mile range of the cannon, this was considered safe enough.

      The M31 Honest John missiles that replaced these cannons actually had a slightly lesser range of 15 miles (24km). The improved M50 Honest Johns eventually introduced had 30 mile (48 km) range.

      These were meant for tactical employment, rather than strategic like ICBMs.

    • Rugnjr@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      3·
      9 days ago

      Oh that rabbit hole is gonna get a whole lot wilder for you: they produced man portable atomic mortars! Search up Davy Crockett mortars

      South Africa made atomic cannons like this one too back under apartheid

    • Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
      1·
      10 days ago

      Well, you’d be outside of the radius of immediate destruction, so totally no problem. Those were pretty crazy times.