Nuclear Weapon



A nuclear weapon is an explosive device.

Background
Nuclear weapons were used in 1945 to destroy the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending World War II. In the Capital Wasteland, an ICBM launch terminal, launch codes, and facility can be found at Fort Constantine. The launch codes are for a Minuteman XI missile. The Delta IX rocket, while not originally designed and built as ICBMs, were converted to serve this purpose in 2034. One such example crashed just outside the Statesman Hotel in Washington, D.C. where it can still be found as of 2277.

In Mothership Zeta, an alien captive recorded log's subtitles state that the United States had 38 ICBMs on alert and ready to fire when instructed to do so by the White House. In the Commonwealth, a large stockpile of Mark 28s was stored in the bunkers of the Sentinel Site southwest of Boston where military engineers and scientists were attempting to adapt the bombs for use as missile warheads in ICBMs. Their experiments yielded mixed results and were ultimately cut short when the Great War broke out and a single strategic nuclear bomb impacted not far from the bunker complex, devastating the entire region and turning it into the Glowing Sea.

Several silos managed by the Commonwealth Defense Administration's Ballistic Defense Division were located in what would become the Divide, remaining unlaunched and underground after the war. The Courier delivered a device that activated these missiles within their silos, resulting in the destruction of Hopeville and Ashton.

In Zion Canyon, Randall Clark describes details about the nuclear missiles that destroyed Salt Lake City. He recollects that his vehicle's engine failed and upon detonation, the light from the blast blinded individuals near him. In addition, after each detonation, there was an 18 second delay of ground movement from where he was located.

When the Great War broke out, 77 nuclear missiles were aimed at the city of Las Vegas and surrounding area. Due to preparations made by Mr. House, mainframes force-transmitted disarm codes to 59 warheads and laser cannons on the roof of the Lucky 38 destroyed nine others, while the remaining 9 warheads were able to reach targets outside of the city. Raul Tejada recalls that Mr. House's anti-missile defense systems could be seen shooting down missiles from as far away as Mexico City.

Fallout
In Fallout, the Glow is a radioactive region destroyed by a direct nuclear hit. The Vault Dweller discovers an unused nuke sitting in the Master's vault, to be used as a last resort against this final challenge.

Fallout 2
In Fallout 2, a nuclear bomb is located on Control Station ENCLAVE. It can be used to destroy the main enemy of the game, detonated by an explosion of the on-board nuclear reactor.

Fallout Tactics
In Fallout Tactics, a nuclear warhead called Plutonius appears in Kansas City, worshiped by a ghoul cult. It is later used to gain entrance to the Cheyenne Mountain installation and Vault 0.

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
A nuclear device rests in the Vault-Tec Corporate Vault in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, as an emergency decontamination procedure (a self-destruct system) if the vault started to become too dangerous. A special monorail located in the first complex of the laboratories section allows for a quick evacuation of the vault dwellers to a secret exit in the mountains. The Initiate activates it to obliterate all the research and experimental deathclaws, radbugs, super mutants, robots, and the heavily mutated Attis, destroying both the vault and the city of Los.

Fallout 3
In the Capital Wasteland, nuclear weapons appear in several places. Megaton is built around an undetonated atomic bomb, and the Fat Man and its unique variant, the experimental MIRV, use mini nukes. Liberty Prime has an arsenal of medium-sized bombs. Within Fort Constantine, the Lone Wanderer can attempt to launch a ballistic missile from a concrete silo via a computer terminal to an unmarked destination.

Fallout: New Vegas
The Boomers have a stockpile of atomic weapons at Nellis Air Force Base, some of which they have detonated in the past, though Pete shares that they haven't done this since before he was born. The Fat Man can be purchased from Knight Torres, a merchant in the Hidden Valley Bunker. The Gun Runners also sell them. A unique version can also be purchased if one has the Gun Runners' Arsenal add-on.

In the add-on Lonesome Road nuclear weapons were detonated before the arrival of the Courier and many nuclear weapons remain scattered throughout the Divide, including the Minuteman XI variant within Ulysses' missile silo. The warheads throughout the Divide can be detonated using a laser detonator. With the Wild Wasteland trait, an undetonated atomic bomb labeled The One is located northwest of the Devil's Throat.

Fallout 4
Nuclear bombs designated Mark 28 are used by Liberty Prime against the Institute. Fat Man launchers are found throughout the region. The Glowing Sea is a unique landscape caused by the detonation of a high-yield nuclear bomb southwest of the greater Boston area. The area contributes to a weather phenomenon known as radstorms. One warhead remains inside of the Yangtze submarine, having failed to launch during the Great War. At Nuka-World, a modified Nuka-nuke launcher was designed to launch weaponized miniature Nuka-Cola nuclear bombs, known as Nuka-nukes.

Appearances
Nuclear weapons either appear or are mentioned in all Fallout games.

Behind the scenes

 * A space station with an orbital ballistic missile launch platform was planned for inclusion in Van Buren.
 * According to the Fallout Bible, a nuclear weapon was used by terrorists to destroy the city of Tel Aviv in December 2053, with a limited nuclear exchange taking place in the Middle East in January 2054.