Plan to deploy nuclear armed French planes to Germany
Discussion
Just seen the Telegraph main headline today. It states that if the above were to happen, it would put pressure on the UK to follow suit. But what with? The front page article conveniently forgets to mention that problem. I thought our nuclear arsenal was entirely underwater. According to Wikipedia we decommissioned our last air launched nuclear bomb programme way back in 1998 presumably using Tornado, so long before the Typhoon even entered service with the RAF.
Yeap, there's no "nuke capable" Stormshadow for the UK, we're entirely RN dependent for our Nuclear deterrent. Even if we "could" stick a warhead in a Stormshadow, no UK aircraft has any of the required "nuke release consent" mods done to them, and I highly doubt that, outside of an actual WW3, the UK Government would be happy to allow any typhoon pilot to lob nukes about, looking at how much training and scrutiny they have to use on the Sub captains with their "letters of last resort" etc.
IanH755 said:
Yeap, there's no "nuke capable" Stormshadow for the UK, we're entirely RN dependent for our Nuclear deterrent. Even if we "could" stick a warhead in a Stormshadow, no UK aircraft has any of the required "nuke release consent" mods done to them, and I highly doubt that, outside of an actual WW3, the UK Government would be happy to allow any typhoon pilot to lob nukes about, looking at how much training and scrutiny they have to use on the Sub captains with their "letters of last resort" etc.
I have no idea about the technicalities, but it's a bit late for a deterrent once WW3 has begun.So, if we were going to do this at all, surely now is the time?
Simpo Two said:
Not really, it might prevent things going nuclear.
Yes, but that assumes that there is a long enough period of conventional war to allow time for the necessary work to upgrade missiles and planes. And in that time a lot of civilians would die. I'd rather deter the aggression in the first place.
I would guess its a way to make Germany "feel" safer and ensure that, due to their WW2 issues, they don't decide to develop their own nuclear weapons - call it an under the table "gentlemen's agreement".
It works so well that other nations have got involved too like the Dutch, Belgians & Italy etc as its a way of allowing friendly countries a way to partake in the Nuke fun without all the costs.
Of course the only time they'd actually be used is it there's already a full blown WW3 with nukes already chucked about, as the ICBM/SLBM would be the first/retaliatory strikes with the aircraft just used for mopping up, by which point the world is toast anyway.
Air dropped nukes always felt like a weird hold over from the 50's, something that should have disappeared once the Missiles took over, yet here we all still are.
It works so well that other nations have got involved too like the Dutch, Belgians & Italy etc as its a way of allowing friendly countries a way to partake in the Nuke fun without all the costs.
Of course the only time they'd actually be used is it there's already a full blown WW3 with nukes already chucked about, as the ICBM/SLBM would be the first/retaliatory strikes with the aircraft just used for mopping up, by which point the world is toast anyway.
Air dropped nukes always felt like a weird hold over from the 50's, something that should have disappeared once the Missiles took over, yet here we all still are.
IanH755 said:
I would guess its a way to make Germany "feel" safer and ensure that, due to their WW2 issues, they don't decide to develop their own nuclear weapons - call it an under the table "gentlemen's agreement".
I would say its more likely to be there is still the specialist nuc infrastructure at German airfields in terms of security and such like, from when there were nuc armed aircraft and weapons forward deployed there during the cold war era.aeropilot said:
I would say its more likely to be there is still the specialist nuc infrastructure at German airfields in terms of security and such like, from when there were nuc armed aircraft and weapons forward deployed there during the cold war era.
There still are.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_sharing
aeropilot said:
IanH755 said:
Yeap, there's no "nuke capable" Stormshadow for the UK, we're entirely RN dependent for our Nuclear deterrent.
UK lost all air-dropped tac nuc weapons when the WE177 was retired back in 1998.As said, RN sub only.
hidetheelephants said:
aeropilot said:
IanH755 said:
Yeap, there's no "nuke capable" Stormshadow for the UK, we're entirely RN dependent for our Nuclear deterrent.
UK lost all air-dropped tac nuc weapons when the WE177 was retired back in 1998.As said, RN sub only.
Plus, theres the minor issue, of without the USA's say so, no one is getting hold of a B61 to use, which is the point in question, and why the French have the only independent air-dropped nuc weapons in Europe.
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