Soviet RDS-1 Nuclear Device

By Crusader1307

The first successful Test of a Soviet Nuclear Device, The RDS-1 (aka “Fast Lighting”) and known to American and British Intelligence as “Joe 1” (after Joseph Stalin). The Device was based greatly on the design patterns of The American Atomic “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” Devices. The Device was detonated in 1949. The RDS-1 weighed 9,000-pounds and was roughly 8-feet long with a 4-foot wide diameter casing. Yielding an explosive Nuclear detonation of 22-Kilotons, The RDS-1 residue was detected by The US Military between Japan and Alaska. The Test of “Joe-1'' was a major turning point in The Cold War, in terms that it was the beginning of the start of The “Arms Race” to develop Offensive Tactical Nuclear Weapons.