Medium Atomic Demolition Munition

Medium Atomic Demolition Munition (MADM) was a tactical nuclear weapon developed by the United States during the Cold War.

[2] This was a low-yield weapon (0.5 to 15 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 to 62.8 TJ)) used by special forces and commando teams to destroy enemy infrastructure such as bridges tunnels, and harbors, among others.

[2] The MADM warhead was designed to be economical in nuclear material, having a diameter of less than 15 inches (380 mm), and it was hoped that the device could be broken down into sub-40 pounds (18 kg) components for carriage and assembly in the field.

[3] The program languished for several years, with Los Alamos and Sandia in a joint letter suggesting that warheads in the range of 12 to 18 inches (300 to 460 mm) were possible.

Sandia and Livermore replied in December 1963, proposing a watertight case for the weapon featuring waterproof cables and connectors.

[14] At about the same time, it was proposed that the weapon be fitted with a Permissive Action Link (PAL), consisting of a five-digit coded switch.

[17] The weapon was designed so it could be detonated by a timer of up to 21 days, by radio or by field wire,[20] and featured a waterproof protective case.

[21] In offensive operations, ADMs are described as being useful for improving flank and rear security of a unit, impeding counterattacks, and assisting in enemy entrapment.

Possible targets described include bridges, dams, canals, tunnels, airfields, railroad marshaling yards, ports and industrial plants, and power facilities.

These tables accounted for various employment particulars such as depth of burial, fallout considerations, and minimum safe separation distances between adjacent weapons and personnel.