If a weapon name is an active link, click on it to see a picture of the weapon, or a page on it (if one exists). From 1962 until 1992, the U.S. military maintained a stockpile of several thousand W48 nuclear artillery shells. The W48 was an American nuclear artillery shell, capable of being fired from any standard 155 mm (6.1 inch) howitzer, e.g. Each of the $1.25-million 155-mm rounds could be fired by conventional artillery pieces. Tactical nuclear weapons range from nuclear landmines and nuclear artillery shells to warheads air-dropped from planes or delivered by missile. The U.S. Army fires a nuclear artillery shell as part of the 1953 Upshot-Knothole Grable tests, held in Nevada. Our military surplus ordnance selection includes artillery shells for sale, grenades, shell casings, fuses and everything in between. The Russians have their Avangard missiles and the Chinese have a railgun, but the Americans have developed maneuverable hypersonic shells for their existing artillery. Nuclear artillery is commonly associated with shells delivered by a cannon, but in a technical sense short-range artillery … Other nuclear shells were later developed for artillery already in existence in the arsenal of the US Army, including the 155 mm howitzer (W48) and the 203 mm (W33). “The tank's gun has a maximum range of 4 km. The final 155mm and 203mm shells were dismantled in 2004. The US developed several nuclear artillery shells in the 155 mm caliber. On May 25, 1953, the United States Army conducted a live nuclear artillery test shot, the only time the US ever conducted such a test.. Digging Deeper. Last changed 14 October 2006. The US military got out of the nuclear artillery shell business in 1991 at the end of the Cold War. At the end of the Cold War, Russia followed the United States lead and deactivated its nuclear artillery units in 1993. General George S. Patton, commander of Third Army, also praised the artillery, stating, “I do not have to tell you who won the war. Due to the size of the apparatus, their limited range, the development of nuclear shells compatible with existing artillery pieces (the W48 for the 155mm and the W33 for the 203mm), and the development of rocket and missile based nuclear artillery, the M65 was effectively obsolete soon after it was deployed. The only one to be deployed was the W48 nuclear warhead … With the improvement of rocket weapons, the development of artillery nuclear systems in the US Army was pushed to the background. One of the main reasons why Russia will not make nuclear shells to fit its newest T-14 Armata tank is the short range of the tank’s gun.