Strategic nuclear weapon
![Fat Man was a strategic nuclear weapon dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki during the final stages of World War II. It was the second and the last nuclear weapon to be used in combat. This nuclear strike killed an estimated 35,000-40,000 people outright, including 150 Japanese combatants and 23,200-28,200 Japanese civilians who were engaged in arms production.](/Images/godic/202502/13/Fat_man5845.jpg")
A strategic nuclear weapon refers to a nuclear weapon which is designed to be used on targets often in settled territory far from the war front as part of a strategic plan, such as counterforce against enemy nuclear missile, bomber, and submarine bases, military command centers, national aerospace defense infrastructure, transportation, economic, and energy infrastructure, and heavily populated areas such as cities and important towns.