Look who is building a new kind of H-bomb
- Thread starter Urederra
- Start date
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Wait...
France plans to modernize its nuclear arsenal (SLBM upgrade)
Russia plans to modernize its nuclear arsenal (ICBM upgrade)
Britain plans to modernize its nuclear arsenal (submarines and SLBM upgrade)
China is modernizing its nuclear arsenal (massive build-up of short range missiles, planned modernization of the strategic intercontinental missiles)
Gods know what Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea are doing.
Pretty much everybody wants to have its nuclear arsenal modern. Why should the US let its own rot in silos and wait, until it malfunctions?
I think it will be better for all of us if they keep it in good shape.
ArneHD
Just a little bit mad
I just wish they could invent a radiation less nuclear bomb for construction projects.
Kozmos
Jew Detective
Auronic Radiation eh? An eco-friendly bomb?
Winner
Diverse in Unity
Not possible. It will always irradiate the soil for some time.
Irish Caesar
Yellow Jacket
Been there, [wiki=dynamite]done that[/wiki].
Winner
Diverse in Unity
GrandAdmiral
Deity
Any decent war mongering nation like us needs to keep its stockpile up to date. I don't want to have a bunch of rotting, aging misfiring warheads like the Russians. Having nukes and not keeping them up to date is stupid and unsafe. As soon as something bad happens the same people that said we shouldn't modernize will point the finger.
Everybody wants the bomb nowadays, and this time it's a bunch of little crazies. We best stay on our game...
You're either a nuclear power, or you aren't. And if you are, it only makes sense to maintain, develop and upgrade your arsenal over time. It's a technology, like any other. And in the technology R&D game, if you stand still, you lose.
You're either a nuclear power, or you aren't. And if you are, it only makes sense to maintain, develop and upgrade your arsenal over time. It's a technology, like any other. And in the technology R&D game, if you stand still, you lose.
Mise
isle of lucy
You could sell the old ones to Iran to make your money back.
woody60707
Deity
This is how i see it. The whole point of this bomb is that we don't even have to do live test. Out with the old and in with the new. safer and cost less, how is this not a no brainier.
No one is saying we need more bombs, just cheaper safer ones.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
He was just trying to help your local economy.Gods, stop writing such lame posts
nihilistic
Intergalatic Delivery Boy
More useful in ANY other project? Any other project such as Iraq?
7ronin
海軍少佐
1. Why does the United States (or any nuclear power) need to build new nuclear weapons?
Plutonium, the essential ingredient of nuclear weapons, ages. It becomes brittle and undergoes other changes which are not fully understood by physicists. The mechanical and electrical components of the bomb and the delivery system wear out. How often do you replace your car or your TV set? Any nuclear weapon eventually reaches a point where it will no longer function as designed.
2. Can plutonium be recycled into new bombs?
No, because of the aging problems mentioned.
3. Can ex-bomb plutonium be used for nuclear power generation?
No. The particular isotope of plutonium used in nuclear weapons is good for only one thing: use in nuclear weapons.
4. Do new bomb designs have to be tested?
No. The last live nuclear test by the United States was circa 1992. The United States is a signer of both the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (although it has not ratified the latter) which do not allow live nuclear testing. Testing is now done by computer modeling.
5. Why do we need a new warhead design?
Plutonium is difficult to make and is very expensive. If you can design a new warhead which uses less plutonium to achieve a given result, the cost savings are tremendous. A reduced warhead size also permits a smaller, more inexpensive delivery system.
6. Why doesn't the United States get rid of its nuclear weapons?
The United States (as well as Russia) has been steadily reducing the size of its nuclear arsenal for some time.
7. Why does the United States need x number of nuclear weapons?
This is a function of nuclear strategy which is too big a topic for this brief discussion. Google it or look it up in Wikipedia.
Disgustipated
Deity
at least they aren't detonating them 65 miles from my city anymore. Sure they were underground after 1962, but still nice. Though it was kind of cool in a way.
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