RACER IV
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RACER IV was a component of some of the first hydrogen bombs made by the United States during the 1950s. The RACER was developed in 1953 at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Purpose
RACER was the second fusion-boosted fission device type incorporating the principles tested first with the BOOSTER in the Greenhouse Item (the first was the modified MK-7 device tested in Snapper Dog in 1952). It was initially intended to be the first stage for all but two (the SHRIMP and ZOMBIE devices) of the devices tested in the Castle series. The shots intended to make use of it were Romeo (RUNT device), Union (ALARM CLOCK device), and Yankee (JUGHEAD, later RUNT II devices), which tested weapon systems aiming to ensure emergency capability, as well as shots Koon (MORGENSTERN device) and Echo (RAMROD device) which were to test more exotic "next generation" systems.[2]: 196 : 236 Its reliability issues ruled it out as a primary in the emergency capability devices, whose proper operation was imperative.[2]: 101 Nevertheless, it was fielded as primary to the relatively low risk[3] Nectar (ZOMBIE device) with satisfactory performance, and to the highly innovative Koon (MORGENSTERN device) with disastrous effects.[2]: 196 : 200
Development
The RACER was developed in 1953 at Los Alamos, was DT gas-boosted, and used a TOM initiator for internal initiation.[2]: 172 The boosting capsule was made of steel and was internally lined with copper, a standardisation derived from the Booster Ball[4]: 258 tested in the Item test. Inside the capsule, the TOM initiator was nested with a caltrop-like steel mounting. This method of assembly of the TOM initiator was known as sealed initiator, doing away with the mounting bracket employed in earlier pure-fission designs.[5][4]