National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
The WE 177 was the last air-dropped nuclear bomb of the British Armed Forces. The WE 177 was a family of British parachute-retarded or free fall nuclear weapons with three distinct versions-A, B, or C. The "A" version was a boosted fission weapon, while the "B" and "C" versions were thermonuclear weapons. The WE 177 was developed to provide a tactical, low-level delivery capability to the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. The "B" version, however, was deployed initially in 1966, on Vulcan aircraft of the RAFV-Bomber force as part of British strategic nuclear deterrent. WE 177s eventually replaced the older Yellow Sun Mark 2 and Red Beard weapons in the British inventory. The weapon on exhibit is a WE 177 Training Round representative of the "B" or "C" version of the bomb. The principal difference between the two is that the warhead yield of the "B" was considerably higher. The much lower yield "A" version was shorter and also could be deployed as a nuclear depth bomb. There were a large number of components that were to common to all versions. Most UK strike aircraft during the period 1966-1998 could deliver all WE 177 versions. WE 177A, in its role as a depth bomb, also could be delivered by most UK naval helicopters from 1971 to 1991 when that capability was withdrawn.
Loading contexts...
