A suitcase nuke or suitcase bomb is a very compact and portable
nuclear weapon and could have the dimensions of 60 x 40 x 20
centimeters or 24 x 16 x 8 inches. The smallest possible bomb-
like object would be a single critical mass of plutonium (or
U-233) at maximum density under normal conditions. The Pu-239
weighs 10.5 kg and is 10.1 cm across. It doesn’t take much more
than a single critical mass to cause significant explosions
ranging from 10-20 tons. These types of weapons can also be as
big as two footlockers. The warhead of a suitcase nuke or
suitcase bomb consists of a tube with two pieces of uranium,
which, when rammed together, would cause a blast. Some sort of
firing unit and a device that would need to be decoded to cause
detonation may be included in the “suitcase.” Another portable
weapon is a “backpack” bomb. The Soviet nuclear backpack system
was made in the 1960s for use against NATO targets in time of
war and consists of three “coffee can-sized” aluminum canisters
in a bag. All three must be