[doorgunner69]

Not fusion they are doing. No way they have figured that out.

The trick is injection tritium into the hollow pit of a fission device just before detonation. The intense fission reaction is sufficient to start fusion of the tritium and radically increase the yield both from added fusion energy and releasing a lot more neutrons further increasing the fission yield.

Pretty sure without looking that we figured how to do this before we figured out thermonukes.

[billorites]

"The United States first succeeded in testing an ordinary nuclear bomb in 1945 and is said to have developed a fusion-boosted fission bomb in 1956."

Boosted fission bombs were developed well before the staged thermonuclear weapons. Boosted fission bombs were what the Eniwetok tests were about in 1950 or 51.

"The intense fission reaction is sufficient to start fusion of the tritium and radically increase the yield both from added fusion energy and releasing a lot more neutrons further increasing the fission yield."

I believe that this is also the physical basis underlying the practice of the "keg stand" as well.

[Wonder Warthog]

"The trick is injection tritium into the hollow pit of a fission device just before detonation. The intense fission reaction is sufficient to start fusion of the tritium and radically increase the yield both from added fusion energy and releasing a lot more neutrons further increasing the fission yield."

Not the best way to do it. The Russians replaced the unstable tritium with nice stable lithium deuteride. I forget the exact mechanism, but I think the neutron flux and pressure of the fission explosion causes the Li of the LiD to convert to tritium, which then fuses per normal, yielding a bigger bang and a more stable warhead.