Developments in Nuclear Weapons Around the World

[Afif]

Going much ahead of ourselves aren’t we? Having nuclear bomb is just one part of the problem. Having an effective mechanism in place so as not letting rogue elements taking control of the stockpile, delivery systems development, proliferation etc costs huge amount of money and resources.

yes, of course,!
the post was just little bit of sarcasm from me, nothing more.

 

[Chocopie]

In theory, you wouldn't even need to enrich uranium. We just need a high neutron flux environment.
View attachment 51828

This is how U-238 typically becomes Plutonium-239 in commercial fission reactors. Than you only get simple reactor grade Pu-239 mixed with high amount of Pu-240. For weapon grade material you need 93% Pu-239. That affords special breeding reactors or a reprocessing plant.

Start building one of those and the whole world knows what you‘re up to. Ergo nobody will deliver you uranium (fuel rods).

 

[Chocopie]

You are requesting for an world with even more risks of nuclear war and most importantly it’s misuse. US and Probably Russia has probably 100’s of incidents where their nuclear weapons were at risks. Pakistan ran an business with Libya and NK. Now imagine countries with poor defence spending trying to control their stockpiles eventually ending in the arms of terrorists? And instead of an RDX, small sized bomb going off in any decent sized capital..

We would live in an even riskier world.

A liberal democratic nation like ROK with no trait of military aggression towards its direct neighbours has any right to arm itsself with nuclear weapons.

It‘s existence is daily threatened by an inhumane nuclear armed regime in the North, supported by 2 aggressive global atomic weapon states (e.g. China & Russia) … couldn‘t care less about nuclear proliferation concerns in SEAsia.

 

[Nilgiri]

You are requesting for an world with even more risks of nuclear war and most importantly it’s misuse. US and Probably Russia has probably 100’s of incidents where their nuclear weapons were at risks. Pakistan ran an business with Libya and NK. Now imagine countries with poor defence spending trying to control their stockpiles eventually ending in the arms of terrorists? And instead of an RDX, small sized bomb going off in any decent sized capital..

We would live in an even riskier world.

Hope you read my subsequent reply (regd Japan and Korea being the likely ones in the anti-PRC arc).

I am not requesting anything, simply stating that what goes around, always comes around.

The countries I list in S.E.A (Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia) will deep down also be quite content and happy with Japan and South Korea getting their deterrents....it takes pressure off from them.

It certainly cannot come soon enough for Taiwan, which can then operate under a grey umbrella closer to home.

The alliance will continue to take shape this century if PRC continues to take no course correction to its mounting geopolitical folly.

As Paul told the Galatians...

You're going to reap just what you sow....

 

[Heartbang]

This is how U-238 typically becomes Plutonium-239 in commercial fission reactors. Than you only get simple reactor grade Pu-239 mixed with high amount of Pu-240. For weapon grade material you need 93% Pu-239. That affords special breeding reactors or a reprocessing plant.

Start building one of those and the whole world knows what you‘re up to. Ergo nobody will deliver you uranium (fuel rods).

The longer it stays in the reactor, the more Pu-240 it accumulates.
(or at Least that's what I read about it)

 

[Nilgiri]

The longer it stays in the reactor, the more Pu-240 it accumulates.
(or at Least that's what I read about it)

Yes that is what chocopie means by special breeder reactor.

These are designed to take the Pu-239 out early before Pu-240 contamination becomes an issue

i.e uneconomically since in typical commercial reactor you want the Pu to remain and produce power as long as possible...but makes sense if you want to have Pu-239 for a bomb or for another reactor process.

This thread has lot more underlying information for those interested, especially "step 1" as it pertains to Plutonium production:

Civil Nuclear Program

All history, news and updates regarding Indian nuclear program to go here...especially concerning the larger research and development side. A parallel thread in "Strategic forces" section may be created later to handle specific weapons related side of it.

defencehub.live

 

[Chocopie]

The longer it stays in the reactor, the more Pu-240 it accumulates.
(or at Least that's what I read about it)

That‘s correct, but the build up of Pu-240 is inherent in civilian nuclear reactors. From Wiki:

„The minimization of the amount of Pu-240, as in weapons-grade plutonium (less than 7% Pu-240) is achieved by reprocessing the fuel after just 90 days of use. Such rapid fuel cycles are highly impractical for civilian power reactors and are normally only carried out with dedicated weapons plutonium production reactors.“

Either way, it‘s inevitable to build a huge plant that wouldn‘t go undetected …

 

[Nilgiri]

Some other stuff I wrote earlier, I just did a search with plutonium:

Pakistan will transfer nuclear weapons technology to Turkey

Off-topic posts have been deleted.

defencehub.live

Figes is developing indigenous Thorium reactors

For details in Turkish: https://www.dunya.com/sirketler/figes-toryum-kullanan-yeni-nesil-nukleer-reaktoru-ozkaynaklariyla-tasarlayacak-haberi-609321

defencehub.live

Politics

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/deva-founding-member-gurcan-arrested/news

defencehub.live

Politics

I would prefer any Mullahs, Wahhabism or Taliban over Kemalism (nothing to do with Atatürk). It’s the worst thing that can happen for Turkey. I would even vote for HDP before I would vote for Kemalism.

defencehub.live

 

[Rajendra Chola]

A liberal democratic nation like ROK with no trait of military aggression towards its direct neighbours has any right to arm itsself with nuclear weapons.

It‘s existence is daily threatened by an inhumane nuclear armed regime in the North, supported by 2 aggressive global atomic weapon states (e.g. China & Russia) … couldn‘t care less about nuclear proliferation concerns in SEAsia.

70 years ago, no one had any inkling China would become such an threat to world peace, it once said it will strive to destroy. No one in East Asia believed Japan can leave its militarism, barbariness when WW2 got over. US became so unpredictable during Trump Era. Same goes for India.

We don’t know what would happen in the future. Human history has showed peace has been only been temporary.

SK and Japan already has US nuclear umbrella protection. They can still proceed to have one which they call their own. But nuke bombs shouldn’t get so prevalent like normal bombs is my concern.

 

[Nilgiri]

Yoon says South Korea, US discussing exercises using nuclear assets

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint planning and exercises using US nuclear assets in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korean

www.channelnewsasia.com

 

[Bogeyman]

Yoon says South Korea, US discussing exercises using nuclear assets

SEOUL: South Korea and the United States are discussing possible joint planning and exercises using US nuclear assets in the face of North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korean

www.channelnewsasia.com

Biden says U.S. not discussing joint nuclear exercise with S. Korea​

Biden says U.S. not discussing joint nuclear exercise with S. Korea | Yonhap News Agency

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Joe Biden said Monday his country has no ong...

en.yna.co.kr

 

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1620481849133867011

 

[Heartbang]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1620481849133867011

Things are definitely getting spicier.

 

[Bogeyman]

United States nuclear weapons, 2023



ABSTRACT

The Nuclear Notebook is researched and written by Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists, and Matt Korda, a senior research associate with the project. The Nuclear Notebook column has been published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists since 1987. This issue examines the status of the US nuclear arsenal. The US nuclear arsenal remained roughly unchanged in the last year, with the Department of Defense maintaining an estimated stockpile of approximately 3,708 warheads. Of these, only about 1,770 warheads are deployed, while approximately 1,938 are held in reserve. Additionally, approximately 1,536 retired warheads are awaiting dismantlement, giving a total inventory of approximately 5,244 nuclear warheads. Of the approximately 1,770 warheads that are deployed, 400 are on land- based intercontinental ballistic missiles, roughly 970 are on submarine-launched ballistic missiles, 300 are at bomber bases in the United States, and 100 tactical bombs are at European bases.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00963402.2022.2156686?needAccess=true

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1620895835193057289

 

[Bogeyman]

US alleges Chinese spy balloon flew over sensitive military sites


The Pentagon says it is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon spotted over United States’ airspace, reviving tensions between the two powers just days before the top US diplomat’s visit to Beijing.

“The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now,” Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters on Friday.

“The balloon is currently travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”

US officials claimed the balloon was flying over sensitive sites to collect information. There are reports military leaders decided against shooting it down over the state of Montana because of the risk of falling debris.

Montana is home to the Malmstrom Air Force Base, where there are some 150 silos for intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the nuclear-capable Minuteman III.

The US took “custody” of the balloon when it entered its airspace and had observed it with piloted US military aircraft, an official told Pentagon reporters on Thursday on condition of anonymity.


The Pentagon spokesperson said similar surveillance activity has been seen in the past few years, adding the US had taken steps to ensure the balloon did not collect sensitive information.

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, while visiting the Philippines, convened a meeting of senior Pentagon officials on Wednesday to discuss the incident.

Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would request a “Gang of Eight” briefing, referring to a classified national security briefing for congressional leaders, and Republican and Democratic leaders, of the intelligence committees.

The defence official said the US has “engaged” Chinese officials through multiple channels and communicated the seriousness of the matter.

The Chinese foreign ministry in its first reaction said it was working to verify the facts around US claims that Beijing flew a spy balloon over its territory, warning against “hype” over the issue.

“Verification is under way” over the reports, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing, adding that “until the facts are clear, making conjectures and hyping up the issue will not help to properly resolve it”.

Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, said some Chinese experts in their commentary on state media doubted Beijing was floating a surveillance balloon, essentially calling it a “hot air” balloon.


“We know that China and US spy on each other using satellites. Over the past years, China has expanded its satellite arsenal from 250 to 500. And experts have been saying that it’s unlikely that this surveillance balloon will be able to glean any information that satellites do not already know about.”

Purpose unclear​

Glenn Carle, a national security expert, told Al Jazeera that the balloon flight was curious.

“They have satellites that are sophisticated and it’s not clear to me what intelligence advantage they could gain by doing this,” said Carle, former deputy national intelligence officer for transnational threats at the CIA. “Perhaps it fits in with the ‘Wolf Warrior’ diplomacy that China has pursued: being aggressive in pursuit of its interests until there is a strong pushback.”

The Pentagon announcement comes days before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to China. It is not clear if this will affect his travel plans, which the State Department has not formally announced.

Al Jazeera’s Yu said the timeliness of the balloon being found is surprising given that Blinken is scheduled to visit China for high-level talks in a few days.


“These are the most important meetings we have had with US officials since the beginning of the pandemic. And it comes amid China showing conciliatory tones towards the US. The talks are supposed to be a re-setting of very tense ties.”

The US is expanding its military presence in Asia in a string of moves aimed at countering Beijing and reassuring Indo-Pacific allies it will stand with them against threats from China and North Korea. On Thursday, Austin announced an expansion of military cooperation with the Philippines, a longtime US ally in Southeast Asia.

The senior defence official said the US had mobilised fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot down the balloon if ordered by the White House.

The Pentagon ultimately recommended against such action, noting that even though the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size would create a debris field large enough to potentially put people at risk.

The official said the current flight path would carry the balloon over several sensitive sites but did not give details.

Another US official said the “spycraft” had been tracked near the Aleutian Islands and Canada before entering the US.

In a statement later, Canada’s Ministry of National Defence confirmed that a high-altitude surveillance balloon had been detected and its movements were being “actively tracked” by NORAD, a binational military command with the US.


“Canadians are safe and Canada is taking steps to ensure the security of its airspace, including the monitoring of a potential second incident,” the statement said.

The US official would not specify the size of the balloon but said it was large enough that, despite its high altitude, commercial pilots could see it.

On social media, people near Billings shared photos of pale, round objects high in the sky that were separate from the Moon. The Pentagon provided no visuals.

Spy balloons have flown over the US several times in recent years but this balloon appeared to be lingering longer than in previous instances, the official noted.

Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said such balloons were seen as a low-cost method of gathering intelligence and had been widely used by the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union during the Cold War.

“The timing of this incident is curious, coming only days before Secretary Blinken’s planned travel to Beijing,” he said.

Pentagon ‘tracking’ suspected Chinese surveillance balloon

The US says spy balloon flying over its airspace to collect sensitive information, as China says it’s verifying claims.

www.aljazeera.com

 

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628051942269243393

 

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1627990765820321792

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1628043477844983808

 

[Ryder]

Floodgates opening which means the Usa and Russia can no longer work together in stopping other countries in getting nukes.

 

[Anastasius]

I treat George Friedman's prognostications with a heavy dose of skepticism but I agreed with what he said about everyone and their grandmother having easy access to nuclear technology or knowledge on how to acquire/build it by the mid-century. You can't kept this cat in the bag forever.

At this point nuclear powers are going to be racing to either find a reliable counter to nukes or something even deadlier.

 

[Heartbang]

Floodgates opening which means the Usa and Russia can no longer work together in stopping other countries in getting nukes.

Time to milk this in our favor!