Nuclear missiles could blow up 'like popcorn'

[DogPoundPup]

Source: Telegraph UK

A design flaw in Britain's nuclear arsenal means that warheads could set off a chain reaction "like popcorn" if they were accidentally dropped, according to Ministry of Defence documents.

More than 1,700 warheads are affected by the problem which would cause them to explode one after another, an effect known as "popcorning."

A typical Trident nuclear missile contains three to six warheads, and some submarines carry up to 24 missiles, meaning the potential for disaster could be huge.

Defence companies try to prevent accidental explosions of warheads by designing them to be "singlepoint safe" which means that a sudden knock at a single point should not detonate the plutonium core.

The typical scenario would see the weapon being dropped from a crane while being loaded on or off a submarine.

However, a nuclear-weapons safety manual drawn up by the MoD's internal nuclear-weapons regulator, and declassified last month, argues that this standard single-point design might not be enough to prevent "popcorning".

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2193638/Nuclear-missiles-could-blow-up-'like-popcorn'.html

[underpants]

1. I say careful with that nuke there chap

Even before reading this I would expect that people who handle things are quite careful not to drop them

[Richardo]

3. ...

[DogPoundPup]

4. Sometimes it's helpful to read the entire article ...

>>>Stefan Michalowski, a senior scientist at the OECD in Paris, who researched warhead safety in the 1990s, is concerned about the risks of an extreme event such as a firefight with direct gunshots.

"The explosion of a boatload of missiles in a port would be an unimaginable catastrophe," he said. "It's a very, very scary thought." <<<

[SpikeTss]

12. But dropping them would be a very good idea

Actually, maybe the only idea that might safe our species - or at least our culture - from being wiped out.
Dropping them from this planet, that is.

But certain capitalist fascists in the military industries will always find a Strangelove-reason to keep these weapons of mass destrucion.

[Hydra]

2. What a comforting thought

Lots of submarines have been sunken by their own defective torpedoes. Consider a chain-reaction from a defective missile in the middle of the Atlantic...

Actually, the scary thing is that something similar almost happened:

http://www.espionageinfo.com/Fo-Gs/Glomar-Explorer.html

When the wreckage of the Soviet submarine was about a mile (1.6 k) from the water's surface, three of the mechanical claw's tine malfunctioned, apparently damaged in the crash into the ocean floor. Unable to sustain its own weight, the wrecked Soviet submarine tore apart. The crew aboard Glomar Explorer tensely waited for the broken part of the wreckage to hit the sea floor, fearing detonation of weapons on board the submarine.

[damntexdem]

9. In the middle of the Atlantic? How about that "in a port"?

Or in the Straight of Hormuz? Oh that's right, submarines are not SUPPOSED to transit submerged.

[Hydra]

17. Actually, in the middle of the ocean bothers me more

That much radioactive junk dumped right into the food chain via various currents. Nuff said.

[truebrit71]

5. "Careful Ryan, some things in here don't react well to bullets....."

:evilgrin:

[Mrs. Overall]

6. Like popcorn?

:popcorn:

[damntexdem]

8. Do you want yours with butter? I prefer salt.

As in SALT! ;-)

[Cronopio]

7. Sounds like another Halliburton fuckup.

Or another corporation trying to one-up Halliburton's lethal standard of "professionalism".

[Crowman1979]

10. Tony Benn's opinion on this

He is a retired MP who has advocated for eliminating britain's nuclear arsenal. Here are a few of his interviews and speeches:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjwsFZwQGCk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zJFyZdEzjQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGsk86RJSD0

[truebrit71]

11. For a second there I read that as "Tony Bennett's opinion on this"....

..and I wondered to myself....:wtf:

[Crowman1979]

14. LOL minus the nett!

He was in the movie "Sicko" and he was the longest Labor party member to serve in Parliament. Here is Tony intellectually kicking John Bolton in the nuts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZLGHy2WS_M

[truebrit71]

18. Being a 40 yr-old ex-pat Brit I am very familiar with 'Red Tony'....

...he makes more sense the older he gets...

[Kool Kitty]

22. You don't want Tony's opinion of this, do you?

He'll just start singing, "I Left My Nukes In San Francisco......"

[Baby Snooks]

13. Ours are probably not much safer...

The only safe nuclear missile is a disarmed nuclear missile. As long as the trigger core is in place, anything is possible.

We know of one nuclear missile off the coast of South Carolina, I believe, that is still sitting there. Somewhere. Who knows what decades of corrosion have done to the trigger core. And who knows how many others have been lost that we are unaware of.

Even more scary, given the ongoing rhetoric of Dr. Mengele and his Boy from Brazil with regard to Iran, is the reality that Russia may still have its missiles programmed to launch in unison. Thousands of missiles launched at once. In the belief that it would stop a nuclear attack by completely wiping out the United States and Europe.

None of us would survive after those missiles were launched.

"And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air..."

[damntexdem]

15. But look on the bright side: like self-heating popcorn.

And when they go off, it will be hard to not look on the bright side, at least till one's eyes melt.

[Igel]

24. The talk isn't of a nuclear explosion, but of

the explosive material around the core. even if that exploded--which is unlikely--it's probably less likely that it would trigger a nuclear explosion.

it would be a radiological mess, a very dirty bomb, but not a thermonuclear one.

[Barrett808]

16. I don't know...it's so hard to make them explode in the first place...

...that the chance of an accidental nuclear explosion is infinitesimal. If I'm remembering my college "Physics of Nuclear Devices" class correctly.

[Deja Q]

19. Wow. Even Ron Jeremy would blush over that...

:hide:

[skoalyman]

20. we'd all blush at the same split second

before turning into carbon dust:nuke: :evilfrown:

[skoalyman]

23. Only place I've seen them go off is on a

:spank:b00b Tube truly powerful release of energy
:hide:

[Ghost Dog]

21. This will be official propaganda to help win public approval

for the huge cost and consequences of 'upgrading' Trident to a completely new (also US-manufactured) system, which both Bliar and Brown and the Establishment want to push through.

[Crowman1979]

28. If the justification for these nukes were to protect us from evil governments....

...then why should the our own governments have them, since they have recently displayed how evil they are. We definitely do not want another person with their finger on the button, who are in the same mental states as Bush and Blair. And that is something we can all agree on.

[Ian David]

25. What happens if some idiot wet-starts his engine on a carrier deck and ignites a missile?

Not that ANYONE (John McCain) would be THAT stupid, right?

[Thothmes]

26. Nothing, the op is about British trident ICBM missiles

You do know that a Trident ICBM cannot be slung under the wing of a A-4 or F-4.

[Ian David]

27. Of ourse I knew THAT.

Just figured the ones that fit under the wings of a fighter might have the same problem.