would britain have the guts to use its nuclear deterrant?

[AJI]

Say if FOR EXAMPLE Iran had a bomb built that could reach the UK and some millitant group decided it was a good idea to launch it onto a UK city..... would the UK government of the time have the guts to send a sweet reply back with a 1st class stemp on it?

Or would the namby pamby good do'ers and pressure groups rally up an opposition with legal teams and human rights lovers with brussels support etc. and cause the UK to simply accept and go to the tables to have a nice talk with said millitant group to say how incorrect their choice of missile destination was?

[Murray993]

Err yes if the French start playing up.

[mechsympathy]

It's not much of a deterent if it's used after the event. The only use it has is against states that also have a large nuclear arsenal.

[loltolhurst]

would be no need the yanks / israel would have the excuse they needed to flatten the place

[G_T]

As mentioned above why bother?

It'd just be standard procedure i.e. Just trash the place with conventional weaponary, strike a deal over resources (if any), make sure they pay our contractors to repair the damage, instill a fresh dictator and do it all again in a couple of decades.

Quite a good financial investment these days.

[AJI]

loltolhurst said:

would be no need the yanks / israel would have the excuse they needed to flatten the place

yes, but what if the bomb was somehow launched not under the official capacity of the Iranian government for example.....say if a millitant group took control in a coup and took control over the government as it stood.

I know its all hypothetical...but in the future if more of the countries where millitant groups exist devloped a bomb and somehow a millitant group with religious extreme views got control over their countries nuclear weapons and were able to fire them...would the west (or the attacked country) have the authority to launch a counter strike againt that country's general population ?

[G_T]

Are you suggesting Tom Clancy is some sort of prophet?

[Ozone]

Not if Brown or Cameron were in charge.

That BNP bloke on the other hand.......

[mat13]

im guessing we wouldnt have a chance to get a shot off, as said above im pretty sure israel/america have quite a few big shiny missiles pointing in there direction, which as soon as a launch was detected would be fired off.

[Caruso]

MAD as it sounds, we would have no choice but to retaliate.

[G_T]

Caruso said:

MAD as it sounds, we would have no choice but to retaliate.

Oooo I see what you did there.

[Ikemi]

Isn't there a way the nuclear missle could be intercepted by some sort of ICBM?

[plasticpig]

I think the UK would have to retaliate. The problem is the Trident-2's can carry upto 12 warheads so it would be a case of deciding wether it should be a multipe strike or just a single warhead retaliation. IIRC the UK is supposed to have about 150 active warheads out of a stockpile of 200.

[Carfiend]

Ozone said:

That BNP bloke on the other hand.......

He would use them to sink immigrant ships I suspect.

[Oakey]

Ikemi said:

Isn't there a way the nuclear missle could be intercepted by some sort of ICBM?

Hey, that sounds like a plan, you should suggest it to Ronald Reagan

[Ikemi]

Oakey said:

Ikemi said:

Isn't there a way the nuclear missle could be intercepted by some sort of ICBM?

Hey, that sounds like a plan, you should suggest it to Ronald Reagan

I think I might be missing something here? I'm aware of Ronald Reagan, but not in relation to ICBMs?

I understand, although I might be wrong that nuclear warheads detonate via a trigger and not on impact, for safety reasons ... So could any sort of interception be used?

[pokethepope]

Ikemi said:

Isn't there a way the nuclear missle could be intercepted by some sort of ICBM?

Star Wars?

[FourWheelDrift]

AJI said:

Say if FOR EXAMPLE Iran had a bomb built that could reach the UK and some millitant group decided it was a good idea to launch it onto a UK city..... would the UK government of the time have the guts to send a sweet reply back with a 1st class stemp on it?

Have you ever seen Threads ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads

Granted it's Soviet/US/British Nuclear war but it's caused by a coup in Iran it gives a good insight into what might happen and the results from it. It only takes a small thing to cause an escalation.

[Lefty Guns]

Ozone said:

That BNP bloke on the other hand.......

First strike? :scratchcin:

Mind you, not sure what his depth-perception is like. Not sure the wonky-eyed tt could aim the thing properly...

[CraigW]

FourWheelDrift said:

AJI said:

Say if FOR EXAMPLE Iran had a bomb built that could reach the UK and some millitant group decided it was a good idea to launch it onto a UK city..... would the UK government of the time have the guts to send a sweet reply back with a 1st class stemp on it?

Have you ever seen Threads ---> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads

Granted it's Soviet/US/British Nuclear war but it's caused by a coup in Iran it gives a good insight into what might happen and the results from it. It only takes a small thing to cause an escalation.

as a kid I saw this, dont think i slept properly for a week, so well done.