RDS-3 (ru|РДС-3) was the third atomic bomb developed by the Soviet Union in 1951, after the RDS-1 and RDS-2. It was called Marya in the military. The bomb had a composite design with a plutonium core inside a uranium shell, providing an explosive power of 41.2 kilotons.[1] The RDS-3T was a modernized version and the first mass-produced nuclear weapon by the Soviet Union. It was assigned to Long Range Aviation in 1953.[1]
RDS-3 was tested on October 18, 1951, being air-dropped from a Tupolev Tu-4. It was the first such test of a nuclear device by the Soviets, known as Joe-3 in the West. It was detonated at an altitude of four hundred meters. The resulting flash could be seen from away, and the sound heard from around the same distance.[2] The footage of the test was filmed by an instrument tower 7.5 kilometers from ground zero.
