[patton]

Not out to get you, and I am not an engineer either. Not sure I can even spell it.

What I was goofing around at getting at, is WHICH reactive materiel, and in what configuration.

Adding a straw, a reflector, or even a composite foam can change yiel significantly - so mass is just one variable, and the easy one, at that.

But nobody builds shotgun nukes anymore - too time-consuming and resource intensive.

And your comment about “science” reporters is exactly correct.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Speaking of amazing...the stuff that a google search will turn up...from a search on your term shotgun nukes....I got this:

Nuke missile silo fire went undetected

and I don't find any posting on FR..either....not sure what the exact date was...here is the article date....October 31, 2008.