Tactical nuclear weapons safety, control & survivability

[Homer J Simpson]

[PartialDischarge]

Cant watch the videos right now as I'm on mobile data on a nice remote island  , but I remember reading a page long time ago that described how these devices where protected on the outside with some kind of protective skin/cover. If someone tried to pry open one (maybe they are pressurized), then a small explosive would set off and destroy the inners of the device so it couldnt be reused somewhere else.

For me that spawned the idea of a security device that reached the prototype level, and its waiting as that in my lab.

[SeanB]

Safety generally is that they do not place the initiating sources into the bomb until they are certain they will launch it, and then it will be possible to detonate it properly. For accidents you need to have a perfect detonation, any accident that does not have a perfect blast, or where the charges fail to detonate in the correct sequence at the right time means it is not going to be at full power. Failure during launch means the area will be contaminated with some very radioactive pieces, but it will not detonate as a nuclear explosive, just a 2 kiloton chemical blast.

The airborne ones AFAIK were always shipped with the initiators on a separate flight, using another plane, sent using a different route on a separate day, so you could not get hold of both by any means.

BTW the pilots of the planes with those bombs always knew that actually dropping them armed was a suicide mission, as they likely would not survive the blast of a large bomb, and there was a low probability of making it back, in case they evaded incoming and outgoing missile and fighter defences. Not hard to target a BUFF when you know from which direction they would come, what altitude they would be at and with it having the largest RADAR cross section and largest heat signature for the missiles and fighters to aim for. ICBM's and Tomahawk missiles are a shed load harder to hit.

[Alex Eisenhut]

Cant watch the videos right now as I'm on mobile data on a nice remote island  , but I remember reading a page long time ago that described how these devices where protected on the outside with some kind of protective skin/cover. If someone tried to pry open one (maybe they are pressurized), then a small explosive would set off and destroy the inners of the device so it couldnt be reused somewhere else.

For me that spawned the idea of a security device that reached the prototype level, and its waiting as that in my lab.

You mean like an IBM crypto module?

[PartialDischarge]

something like that, with a different approach. And I think it would make for a nice niche product, however  I can't spend more time on it right now, as Im workin like crazy in another project

[SeanB]

Protection on those generally was by having layers like an onion, fences with armed guards, then inside that a high wall with barbed wire, more guards with guns, then inside that a hardened armoury, with the bombs themselves stored inside in further armoured cases. Keys held by different people, and you need to pass at least 5 layers of ID before you get to the door of the armoury, and there you better have a name and photo on the allowed list, and a reason to be there. Once inside you need keys, and 2 people to undo the locks, and then you have the actual bombs.

From there they are not protected, just by virtue of being both insanely poisonous if you open the protective covers, and by being radioactive as well. Plus you will find it hard to carry them out without the right authorised paperwork and the right carriers. Then there are the separate things in that the firing mechanisms are separate from the bombs, under even heavier security, in a separate armoury, with different guards and different access lists and keys. The destruct charges are there for the carrier system and the weapon trigger electronics, the idea is the actual weapon capsule survives so you do not spread radiation all over till you really want to. It is designed so the explosive charge burns rather than detonated, mat result in local radiation release but better in one large lump than dispersed.

Hard to grab them, and going in in force will result in the alarm being raised, and a reaction force arriving with pointed questions, and itchy trigger fingers. If they have to leave the Armoury they go in a big convoy, with heavy weapons support as well.

But, till you actually arm them on a system, they are relatively harmless, just like all military explosives. Now, if you want touchy things, try cluster munitions, or fuzes, especially those that are getting on the old side, or which have been stored improperly or which have had the safety removed for any reason. Those are very touchy, as in you might have a full military funeral with empty casket touchy.

[PartialDischarge]

From there they are not protected, just by virtue of being both insanely poisonous if you open the protective covers, and by being radioactive as well. P

not true. Thats where the real protections start to appear, not only PALs (talked about lengthly in the video) but also the one feature I was referring to (first video min 43:55)
which is slightly unveiled as is it still classified