|
Device Assembly Facility (DAF)
Construction began on the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) in the
mid-1980s during underground nuclear weapons testing. DAF's original
purpose was to consolidate all nuclear explosive assembly functions, to
provide safe structures for high explosive and nuclear explosive
assembly operations, and to provide a state-of-the-art safeguards and
security environment. Now that the United States is no longer conducting
underground nuclear weapons tests, the DAF has other uses that include
the building of subcritical experiment assemblies. It is one of the few
facilities in the country that can accommodate these activities.
The DAF is a collection of 30 individual steel-reinforced buildings
connected by a rectangular racetrack corridor. The entire complex,
covered by compacted earth, spans an area of 100,000 square feet.
The DAF is a national asset. The design of the facility and its
safety features makes the DAF well-suited to address new national
challenges - such as the addition of Criticality
Experiments Facility to the Nevada Test Site - in support
of maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile.
Refer to the following Fact Sheet for more information:
Device Assembly Facility [PDF, 249 KB]
^ TOP ^
|
