Current Nuclear Weapons Development

Drone attack targets Iranian centrifuges:
An expert in Iran claims that the centrifuge blade production plant was attacked by a drone carrying two bombs. It was supported by another drone equipped with electronic warfare emitters. While the UAV capable of carrying four bombs; only two were used.

The drones returned unharmed to their base in one of the countries closest to Iran, the source said.
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https://breakingdefense.com/2021/06/iranian-nuke-centrifuge-plant-madly-damaged-by-drones/
 
NMaude said:
On another note is there a thread on US nuclear testing and if not which forum would be the appropriate one to create such a thread?
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I don't like to quote myself however since no one bothered to answer my question I'll ask it again.
 
TomcatViP said:
Drone attack targets Iranian centrifuges:
An expert in Iran claims that the centrifuge blade production plant was attacked by a drone carrying two bombs. It was supported by another drone equipped with electronic warfare emitters. While the UAV capable of carrying four bombs; only two were used.

The drones returned unharmed to their base in one of the countries closest to Iran, the source said.
Click to expand...

https://breakingdefense.com/2021/06/iranian-nuke-centrifuge-plant-madly-damaged-by-drones/
Click to expand...
I personally think a lot of recent fires and accidents in Iran might be attributed to small UAVs with explosive/incendiary payloads.
 
It is a fast breeder reactor, so more than likely will be used to help replenish some of Russia's nuclear material stockpiles, especially plutonium. Despite scrapping a lot of nukes during the 1990s, Russia has reportedly been running a bit low recently on certain materials, due to the fact that a lot of the nuclear materials left over from the Soviet era, salvaged and otherwise, was ironically sold to the United States under various non-proliferation programs that lasted into the early Putin era.
 
https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-want-pause-new-gbsd-icbm-for-other-military-needs-2021-6
"Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that "as it is currently being explained to us," a Minuteman life extension would cost more than develop GBSD but that doesn't necessarily mean the US needs to buy all 400 new missiles or "even that we need that leg of the triad.""

Must be why both China and Russia have two ICBMs in development/production. Each.
 
NMaude said:
Grey Havoc said:
was ironically sold to the United States under various non-proliferation programs that lasted into the early Putin era.
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IIRC the Clinton administration bought 500 metric tons of weapons-grade U-235 from them and turned it into reactor-fuel.
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The UK has a shedload of weapons grade plutonium due to THORP if the US needs some fast and cheap.
 
Josh_TN said:
Forest Green said:
NMaude said:
Grey Havoc said:
was ironically sold to the United States under various non-proliferation programs that lasted into the early Putin era.
Click to expand...
IIRC the Clinton administration bought 500 metric tons of weapons-grade U-235 from them and turned it into reactor-fuel.
Click to expand...
The UK has a shedload of weapons grade plutonium due to THORP if the US needs some fast and cheap.
Click to expand...
I believe Japan has a sizable stockpile as well.
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And if Japan was so inclined they'd be capable of building a processing plant to purify the Plutonium to get rid of the Pu-238, 240, 241 and 242 to make super-grade Pu-239.
 
Forest Green said:
bobbymike said:
sferrin said:
China is building more than 100 new missile silos in its western desert, analysts say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a8debc-d9c2-11eb-bb9e-70fda8c37057_story.html
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Missiles in silos that’s unpossible

And I guarantee they won’t be for some piddling single warhead missile either.
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Yeah, there must be like 2.6 warheads on each missile, because China only has their stated 260 warheads right, and 260/100 = 2.6.
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No, no, no. They're going to shell-game their 26 DS-41s among the 100 silos. See, this can't actually LAUNCH an ICBM:

china-unveils-dongfeng-41-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-icbm-1.jpg
 
NMaude said:
Josh_TN said:
Forest Green said:
NMaude said:
Grey Havoc said:
was ironically sold to the United States under various non-proliferation programs that lasted into the early Putin era.
Click to expand...
IIRC the Clinton administration bought 500 metric tons of weapons-grade U-235 from them and turned it into reactor-fuel.
Click to expand...
The UK has a shedload of weapons grade plutonium due to THORP if the US needs some fast and cheap.
Click to expand...
I believe Japan has a sizable stockpile as well.
Click to expand...
And if Japan was so inclined they'd be capable of building a processing plant to purify the Plutonium to get rid of the Pu-238, 240, 241 and 242 to make super-grade Pu-239.
Click to expand...
I thought they specifically built a plant for that purpose and there was some controversy over the decision?
 
bobbymike said:
sferrin said:
China is building more than 100 new missile silos in its western desert, analysts say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a8debc-d9c2-11eb-bb9e-70fda8c37057_story.html
Click to expand...
Missiles in silos that’s unpossible

And I guarantee they won’t be for some piddling single warhead missile either.
Click to expand...
I was a little surprised by this news - aren't their missiles already stored underground and are road mobile? The only advantage of silos I can think of is that they can be kept on a higher alert status. The US never deployed a road mobile ICBM and quite honestly I don't think it would be workable in this country from a security standpoint.
 
Seeing that they probably “borrowed” and added/improved on any “super hard” silo research we’ve done decades ago my guess is they won’t be shy about ultra-hardening their brand new silos.
 
Josh_TN said:
bobbymike said:
sferrin said:
China is building more than 100 new missile silos in its western desert, analysts say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nati...a8debc-d9c2-11eb-bb9e-70fda8c37057_story.html
Click to expand...
Missiles in silos that’s unpossible

And I guarantee they won’t be for some piddling single warhead missile either.
Click to expand...
I was a little surprised by this news - aren't their missiles already stored underground and are road mobile? The only advantage of silos I can think of is that they can be kept on a higher alert status. The US never deployed a road mobile ICBM and quite honestly I don't think it would be workable in this country from a security standpoint.
Click to expand...
If they roamed around on federal land it wouldn't be an issue. It's not like they've ever planned to drive ICBMs down the Vegas strip.
 
bobbymike said:
Seeing that they probably “borrowed” and added/improved on any “super hard” silo research we’ve done decades ago my guess is they won’t be shy about ultra-hardening their brand new silos.
Click to expand...

I don't think there's any weird tech to hardening an ICBM silo. And the US and Russia probably have a lot more practical knowledge after all of their various above and below ground tests. At a certain point a big enough/close enough hit simply excavates the structure even if it could somehow otherwise go undamaged. AFAIK a W76 mod1 with the 'smart fuse' can still hold a US or Russian missile silo at risk with a high degree of confidence, just because of the low CEP and the ability of the fuse to compensate for an overshoot. If nothing else, a W88 will do the job.
 

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