1961 Nuke

Yep, l have heard a lot more of incidents like that, like the British dropped one in the Iraki, desert, (if l remember correctly) and because it was down so deep they didn't bother digging it out!


If the Iraki military find that story, they could have a nuclear weapon!


Shane

Yeah, these are two more things I HATE about weapons like nuclear weapons:

1. a failure that could obliterate the country.
2. Giving an enemy technology, raw materials, and possibly a whole working device.

Steve

According to news reports here in NC is that bomb is still down there and the doe routinelys scans the area for radiation. Supposedly the wreckage is buried so deep it can't be recovered. I have no idea of the truth, just what they tell us...

After 9/11 I recall hearing that nuclear weapons are very hard to maintain in working condition. Mainly, something to do with the rather rapid deterioration of the trigger material.

How would you like to be on the squad to retrieve those bombs?

"Johnson! We need you STAT! You are to retrieve the missing nuclear devices that fell out of a bomber and nearly detonated!"

"Uhhh... Sir yes sir!"

Well, I hope the explosives are STABLE and degrade harmlessly! ALSO, I hope any power source or detonating mechanism is safe. I hope the CIRCUITRY is proper.

Many older explosives become very unstable over time. Many older powersources would LEAK! In "the manhatten project", a fictional film, some idiot, fancying himself to be smart, builds an atomic bomb to protest an installation. He uses THEIR nuclear material to provide the core material.

Although fictional, some of the parts that may be hard to believe are FACT!!!!!!!

1. The military, at least since the 60s, used SPECIAL variants of circuitry. OH, it(Military spec) is, at least to the degree I know, freely available to all, but, in the 60s, could cost 2-3 times as much. The differences are, generally, that it is more resistant to radiation, and has a greater operating temperature range.
2. Most vulnerable circuitry is SHIELDED!!!!!!
3. Inductive kickback CAN release FAR more energy than was applied to it, after the power is cut!

In the movie, the bomb is set to blow up, and starts counting erratically, because the person didn't consider #1 and #2. It was caused by the radioactivity in the area and after the introduction of the radioactive core. He suggests just cutting the power, but that would set the bomb off because of #3. So they end up having to disconnect all of the detonators manually.

Steve

The fewer these things are around the better.