Weapon Designs Gun-Type Weapon Design The little boy bomb was a gun-type fission bomb. There was a uranium-235 "bullet" and a uranium-235 "target". The bullet would travel down the gunbarrel, projected by conventional explosives, hit the target, and an enormous chain reaction would occur releasing huge amounts of energy. It was considered certain to work, so no test took place. It was completed in February 1945. The bomb was inefficient and had a large chance of accidental discharge.  |
Implosion Type Weapon Design An outer ring of fast and slow explosives would be simultaneously detonated. This would lead to a shock wave that would compress the Plutonium core. The compressed Plutonium core led to the neutron initiator to react with the core. It would send off a chain reaction and a huge explosion. It was a difficult process to time correctly, but it was more efficient than the gun-type weapon. Work began in August 1944, and the Trinity test at Alomogordo bombing range took place on July 16th, 1945
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