Fat Man

The M42 "Fat Man" Launcher is a shoulder-fired, catapult weapon system that launches tactical nuclear ammunition, the "mini nuke". It appears in Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, Fallout Shelter and Fallout: The Board Game.

Background
 The M42 Fat Man was developed at Fort Strong near Boston. Development began in February 2076, with the goal being the development of a man-portable tactical nuclear launcher easy enough for use by troops on the ground, to destroy reinforced and entrenched positions. At first, warheads were too heavy to clear the blast radius fast enough to provide safety for the operator. Stripping them to the minimal possible size failed to produce an acceptable result. The development team decided to increase the power of the launcher unit, and considered using railgun technology to accelerate the warhead, but would require soldiers to carry a suitcase-sized power pack.

Live-fire testing claimed two lives, with no remains recovered and the commanding officer in charge of the project, General Brock, ordered his subordinates to send sand packed in an urn to their relatives. The project experienced a breakthrough in December 2076, when the project lead discovered a solution for the launcher problems. Based on the spigot mortar mechanism, the launcher would only have to accommodate a firing through and system, relying on mechanical launching, rather than chemical or electrical means. The Fat Man warhead would be propelled by a sub-charge embedded inside the warhead, "catapulting" the warhead through the air to the target, providing sufficient range with no smoke trail that could reveal the firing team to the enemy.

By September 2077, after one hundred test firings, the weapon was complete and ready to be shipped to units overseas. The units were manufactured and shipped together with the appropriate warheads to select locations throughout the United States. 

Fat Man


The M42 Fat Man is an area of effect weapon, allowing the user to bombard a large area. It uses a mini nuke for ammunition which when fired, results in a small nuclear blast.

Experimental MIRV


Named for the Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles, two distinct variants of the experimental MIRV exist. The first is a prototype that was delivered to the National Guard depot in Washington, D.C. which fires eight individual mini nukes at once. The second is a modified version of the standard launcher in the Commonwealth and Appalachia, which splits a single mini nuke into six independent projectiles.

Esther


Esther is a unique Fat Man with a different firing mechanism, a blast shield, and a light-blue body. It weighs 10 pounds more than a standard Fat Man, but does not jam, and causes more damage.

The Striker


The Striker was made by the employees of Beaver Creek Lanes for Thomas Davis, a former league champion that became handicapped after a battle injury. The Striker was meant to serve as a tool for Davis to launch bowling balls even though he had lost the use of his legs. It uses modified bowling balls as ammunition.

Nuka-nuke launcher


This unique Fat Man was hidden by John-Caleb Bradberton, the inventor of Nuka-Cola in Nuka-World. Created as part of Project Cobalt, instead of regular mini nukes it launches Nuka-nukes, a specially modified, quantum-enhanced version with increased explosive power.

Behind the scenes

 * Fat Man was the codename for the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan by the United States on August 9, 1945.
 * The weapon was renamed the "Nuka Launcher" in the Japanese version of Fallout 3, but still referred to as the Fat Man in dialogue.

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