Posted on 10/25/2011 7:48:27 AM PDT by penelopesire
"The last of the nation's most powerful nuclear bombs — a weapon hundreds of times stronger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima — is being disassembled nearly half a century after it was put into service at the height of the Cold War. The final components of the B53 bomb will be broken down Tuesday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, the nation's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. The completion of the dismantling program is a year ahead of schedule, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration, and aligns with President Barack Obama's goal of reducing the number of nuclear weapons. Thomas D'Agostino, the nuclear administration's chief, called the bomb's elimination a "significant milestone."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
We started disassembling these in the 1980s. So it’s Reagan’s fault.
Seriously? This is in breaking? Giant iron-bomb nukes are pretty useless. I doubt a BUFF would make it close enough to a real target to drop it.
Why do I suddenly feel sick?
In the meantime we have Chinese scientist throughout our nuclear programs and China, no doubt, continues to develop EMP bombs, neutron bombs and killer satellites, using technology stolen from the US.
‘Cause, y’know, if we do it, everybody else will...
Freakin’ Pollyanna.
The original intent of this weapon was as a bunker buster. We now have much more effective deep penetrating and very accurate weapons to do the job. It’s obsolete. Like the Sherman tank, a good piece of engineering in its day,
Because you don't read articles, and just glance at headlines?
Like I said in the OTHER thread on this same subject...we got a ton more nukes sitting atop missiles in silos. They can go anywhere in the world with a few minutes notice. No reason to feel sick, worried, distraught, upset, on even slightly shaken. The B-53 did it’s job, and it’s being retired. There is NO MORE to read into it than that.
Good perspective. Thanks.
Well if there is a work accident it would happen in amarillo where you couldnt tell the difference in the landscape.
“The original intent of this weapon was as a bunker buster.”
But it could also be detonated at altitude to optimize effect on a city. 9 mile effective blast radius. Double that for lethal thermal effects. That’s one bad piece of work.
Too bad it wasn’t dismantled as originally intended: instantaneously in a 10 million degrees F, 4-mile wide fireball above Iran’s nuclear development facility, or even better, on Amahdi-jihad himself.
LLS
MAYBE that's why....
Thanks.
The B-53 is an early to mid-60’s era device, 9000 lbs, 12-1/2 feet long. It is a complete pig. The first ones to be dismantled were dismantled in 1968. That’s how old it is. If ever we became engaged in a nuclear exchange, this is the absolute last thing we would use on anything or anybody. It’s a museum piece, at best. Not that it wouldn’t ruin your day if it went off, but it’s better to dismantle it, from any conceivable standpoint, war OR peace.
Your post actually makes me feel a little better..however something tells me that Obama isn’t finished disarming this country...he has only just begun.
We’ve been reducing the number of our nuclear weapons throughout the Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama administrations.
Still plenty to destroy the world several times over.
We’ll just have to reassemble it in 16 months.
the Pt would make a nice anti-asteroid warhead, when mounted in a suitable delievry vehicle.
Big Honking Widget Ping
Why? What will you deliver it with? What possible reason do we need it for? We have a TON of smaller, more accurate nukes that’ll do the job. You will kill just as many with them as with this.
I read somewhere last year that the Obama regime was not maintaining our nuclear missiles the way they are suppose to be though. Something about routine maintenance was not being done properly if at all. ???
I wonder if they will sell the parts on E-Bay....:^)
Wikipedia says the B-53 actually uses Oralloy (Oak_ridge_alloy = 90+% pure HEU) and *not* Plutonium! That’s how old it is! Seriously, this is something like a 1955 design. Good for Chevys, bad for nukes. (almost good enough for tagline material right there)
Thing is > If we really, truly needed it for asteroid repulsion, I’d want a much lighter (and thus more reliably launched) and newer (more reliably fired) device, I think. When it comes to frying Mecca, I wouldn’t be as picky. (just not really kidding)
Did Perry and Obama get together and plan this terrorists temptation?
Now they can build a bunch of small ones for home defense!
We destroy our stockpile and China builds theirs
http://chinatunnels.drupalgardens.com/karber_report
Why is it that the only government programs ahead of schedule involve destroying American assets? Nukes, forest roads, nothing to see here, move along . . .
“What will you deliver it with?”
You put it in the basement of your embassy in crappy countries for instant effect.
Just like you don't need more than one bullet for your gun because "one is all it takes to kill someone".
“obama promised to disarm America and he is doing so at an accelerated rate.”
Tragic indeed and it is shocking that Obama while just a college sophomore way back in the 1980’s could give the order to dismantle our most powerful atomic bombs.
“Do you know what kind of a bomb it was?”
“The exploding kind.”
It is not up to the Administration to dictate how missiles or anything else in the military inventory is maintained. It is up to the Air Force and the subcontractors.
Obama is the CIC and is using his power like any leftist dictator would do. I will try to find the article later today if I can. I remember Clinton ordering the military to take the nuclear tips off of bombs during his ‘reign’ and then he used the decommisioned warheads in his bombing of tents and aspirin factories during his ‘Wag The Dog bombings in Iraq and Kosovo. That’s how he went stealth and got rid of some bombs.....so this is not unheard of for the left to do in this country when they have power.
Yep Dog and Pony going on now.......... I took day off to avoid the back slappin .
My first experience with that was Kincheloe AFB in early 70’s where we put em on BUFF’s. Bad event was Damascus Arkansas Titan site when the W53 variant of that beast blew out of a silo there after a fueling accident. Now they are DONE. GPS accuracy and the Mod 11 lawn dart B61 makes em archaic yet everybody loves a big bomb !.....:o) I will miss it. Only hazard on that pig now is DDOT....dont drop on toes !
Warm and fuzzy deterrent did it’s job.......!!!!!
Snow predicted Thursday morning for poohville so mount that snow blade on yer truck ! Gotta pass ya on the way here most of the time !
Stay safe !
...China, no doubt, continues to develop EMP bombs, neutron bombs and killer satellites, using technology stolen from the US.
***
No need to give it to them when you have a Clinton or an Obama to give it to them.
Remember the Wen Ho Lee affair at Los Alamos? I have absolutely no proof of this; it’s just a hunch. Clinton sent Richardson there to investigate alleged data management problems. Wen was subsequently charged.
I suspect that Clinton sold secrets to China and then had Wen framed in order to account for China’s sudden acquisition of our nuclear secrets.
The BUFF might not make it, but the B-2 would.
Last I heard we have 500 silo weapons with one warhead each. W-87. Now if you add in the remaining 14 Ohio’s then it is a bit more.
So Hussein is doing this to FOOL his handlers (our enemies) into THINKING we’ve dismantled one of our most powerful weapons?
I’m not going to be convinced he doesn’t know this is happening. His “team” controls all that is reported by Big Media.
Nosir, he will do anything he can to weaken America, despite the knee jerk “What are you, stupid?” posts by some alleged conservatives here.
Why do some insist on ASSUMING that SOME of what Hussein does is BENEFICIAL to America?
I say, ask who is doing the dismantling, where are the materials going, and who or what cause is he benefiting?
Leftist freaks had no difficulty in telling us EVERYTHING GW did was BAD. Why do some like to assume Hussein means well about ANYTHING?
Sadly many Americans will be taken in by this nonsense.
Same warhead (Mk-6) that armed the Titan II ICBM.
(Worked that system as a 46350)
Later, as a civilian, I worked the last operational test flight of the Titan II ICBM in 1976, installing a new guidance harness for the new guidance system.
During tech school in 1971, there was a B53 training unit that had the parachute removed from the rear area.
One of my buddies found that a good spot to stretch out and take a nap.....
That bomb actually had a plane designed just to carry it.
The lumbering old B-36.
How is this headline
“US’s most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled”
anything but good news to Hussein’s friends our enemies?
Mind your knot bro.
We had 25 degrees here this morning. Cloudy last night nut no precip.
That’s cool info! Interesting...I saw a big lumbering old bomber plane flying low out of a Fort Worth base yesterday. Wonder if this old bomb was being transported in that plane to Pantex in Amarillo yesterday? We don’t usually have old bombers around here...just fighter jets and those big cargo planes.
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