Posted on 06/23/2012 5:20:03 AM PDT by moonshot925
Today, Turkey hosts an estimated 90 B61 gravity bombs at Incirlik Air Base. Fifty of these bombs are reportedly assigned for delivery by U.S. pilots, and forty are assigned for delivery by the Turkish Air Force. However, no permanent nuclear-capable U.S. fighter wing is based at Incirlik, and the Turkish Air Force is reportedly not certified for NATO nuclear missions, meaning nuclear-capable F-16s from other U.S. bases would need to be brought in if Turkey's bombs were ever needed.
(Excerpt) Read more at thebulletin.org ...
Unless terrorists not only get their hands on these bombs, but figure out how to bypass the PAL (Permissive Action Link, prevents unauthorized detonation), it’s all moot.
What's the shelf life of one of those conventional appearing puppies ?
But this should make Assad think about what he is doing.
The US has nuclear bombs on his border.
Long enough.
Russia has its own bombs ~ and they oppose the terrorists.
Say, where are those Bible Interpretation fella's when you need them ~ is there anything in there about thermonuclear war in Syria?
Bet somebody thought it'd be the Jews taking them out eh!
Bump!
And Bibi does not take orders from Obozo or his master.
Pu-239 has a half-life of 24,000 years.
U-235 has a half-life of around 700,000,000 years
Nuclear weapons need periodic replacement of “limited life” components, namely the neutron generator, Tritium gas canister, batteries and conventional explosives.
The National Nuclear Security Administration(NNSA) is running Life Extension Programs to modernize and refurbish each of our nuclear warheads.
“The US has nuclear bombs on his border.”
Maybe so, but we have no intent or will to ever use them.
You are assuming that they would intend to use the bombs as is.
And yes, a new initiator would be needed, but these are not stupid people.
Also, the fissile materials could be removed and a new low yield bomb created without the fission-fussion-fission cycle. The bomb effects would be sub-kiloton, but the resultant fallout would be a mess.
With Daffy Duck in charge over here, and the situation (Muslim Brotherhood etc) over there...perhaps those weapons should come home.
There is specific mention of Damascus being completely destroyed, yes.
“This message came to me concerning Damascus: ‘Look, Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. The cities of Aroer will be deserted. Sheep will graze in the streets and lie down unafraid. There will be no one to chase them away. The fortified cities of Israel will also be destroyed, and the power of Damascus will end. The few left in Aram will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 17:1-3 (NLT)
That's a little more YIKES!-ier than what I thought.
I seem to recall a thread here in FR, many years ago, about suitcase dirty bombs that had to be used relatively soon or they were ineffective.
THAT was the basis for my questrion.
Really? You think 90 bombs full of fission material is not significant? Whats the hardest part of making a bomb? I’m not worried about terrorists. I’m worried about the Turkish government getting their hands on them
We need one about rocks melting, air burning, ........
Folks rarely think of Turkey as having nuclear arms ~ but it does!
Depends on the follow-on timeline, doesn’t it?
You can be sure that IF there was a concerted attempt by terrorists or any other party to try and seize those B61s, they would have to overwhelm U.S. forces dedicated to preserving the safety and ownership of those weapons, and you can also be certain that if it appeared even remotely possible that the weapons might fall into unauthorized hands, that they would be destroyed, fissionable material be damned.
You might want to read up on WS3 (Weapons Storage & Security System) to get a feel for what it would take to steal a nuke.
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