Upshot-Knothole Grable, Nuclear weapons test site in Nevada Desert, United States.
Upshot-Knothole Grable was a nuclear weapons test conducted in the Nevada Desert involving the firing of a nuclear artillery shell from a 280mm cannon known as the M65 Atomic Cannon. The shell traveled across open ground to test how a 15-kiloton warhead would perform when delivered by ground-based artillery.
On May 25, 1953, the United States military conducted the first and only nuclear artillery shell detonation in testing history. This event opened a new direction for nuclear weapons deployment that departed from previous aerial bomb testing methods.
Military leaders, scientists, and Department of Defense personnel gathered to witness this technological advancement in nuclear weaponry development.
The test site is located in Area 5 of the Nevada National Security Site in an open desert region. Access to this location is restricted as it remains part of an active nuclear testing facility with controlled visitor policies.
The detonation created an unexpected secondary shock front that traveled ahead of the main blast wave, producing different damage patterns than previously observed. This phenomenon was not seen in standard nuclear bomb tests and remained a notable finding.
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