Red Hammer

A Red Hammer warhead

The Red Hammer is an Arthuristan thermonuclear device. First tested in 1968, it has served since 1968 as the standard nuclear warhead of the Commonwealth Defence Forces.

The Red Hammer replaced the Red Shoe bomb, which was a pure fission device with a maximum yield of 60kt. It remains the sole nuclear warhead in Arthuristan service and is capable of being utilised in both strategic and tactical roles.

The Red Hammer features a plutonium-based primary. Constructed with TATB-based insensitive explosives as well as a fire-proof casing, it is considered to be relatively safe from mishaps. It is a variable-yield weapon, with a maximum yield of 150kt. If only the primary is detonated, it has a yield of 10kt.

The Red Hammer is fitted to nearly all Arthuristan missiles capable of carrying a nuclear payload, including the ACM-1 Cerberus, Blue Steel (retired), ACM-8 Malphas and ACM-9 Asmoday. It may also form the core of a free-fall bomb, the Red Hammer Prime.

The Red Hammer 'physics package' is relatively compact, roughly 85cm long, 32cm in diameter and weighs 150kg.

Red Hammer Prime

Red Hammer Prime
Place of origin	Arthurista
Service history
In service	1968-present
Production history
Manufacturer	Arthuristan Dynamics
Specifications
Weight	330kg
Length	3.6m
Diameter	33cm
Warhead	Standard Red Hammer warhead: 10-150kt/ SAT-Prime: 10-50kt
Guidance system	SATPRIME: satellite guidance
Launch platform	Aircraft

The Red Hammer Prime is the free-fall bomb variant of the Red Hammer warhead. Essentially, it consists of the standard physics package enclosed in a bomb casing. It is currently the main Arthuristan free-fall nuclear bomb. It is also the main weapon distributed to the Commonwealth's allies through various weapons-sharing programs.

The Red Hammer Prime was originally designed to be carried externally by supersonic aircraft travelling at up to mach 2 speed, although internal carriage is also possible. It may be delivered through high or low-altitude (as low as 15m) 'lay-down' techniques, with the assistance of parachute retardation, or through 'dive toss'. A heavy hardened steel nose-cone provides a degree of surface-penetration capability. A version, 'Depthprime', is employed by helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft as a nuclear depth bomb.

The latest version, the Red Hammer 'SAT-Prime', incorporates technology derived from the Commonwealth Air Force's main series of SAT-Bombs. It replaces the existing weapon's tail and parachute assembly with a module featuring moveable fins and a satellite receiver. This allows for the precision-strike of protected targets through ground bursts using relatively low yields, by ensuring that it can encompass a bunker within its circular error probability of 30m (as opposed to the 100-150m of previous versions), obviating the need for dedicated 'nuclear bunker busters' except for the most hardened of targets. It is envisaged that the primary carrier of the SATprime will be the UFC F-29 Hurricane 5th-generation fighter.

The maximum yield of the SAT-Prime has been reduced to 50kt owing to its significantly increased accuracy and is intended primarily as a tactical weapon.

See also: Arthurista and weapons of mass destruction