Forest Green
ACCESS: Above Top Secret
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- 11 June 2019
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The R-36O already had to be withdrawn under The Outer Space Treaty because it counts as nukes in space, even pre-launch.
I think I would be banned if I gave my actual opinion of that idiocy.Who Needs ICBMs?
Spend the money on the other two legs of the nuclear triad, and improve global stability and U.S. security.www.defenseone.com
5 SSBNS, 40 bombers, no first use
FOBS was banned under SALT II but is not currently banned by New START, note Russia's constant talk about a "South pole" capability on their new Sarmat. FOBS is also not considered to fall under the Outer Space Treaty. Any "South pole" attack will suffer accuracy issues which can be solved via the use of GPS, this is not a FOBS-specific problem.
So Russia would be concerned about SLBMs but not by a FOBS attack on China?
Do note that such an attack could very well be aimed at Russia, all the warheads have to do is keep going a bit more before deorbiting.
MM3 is more likely to be used if it is under threat. Since China can not threaten MM3 there would be less need to use it against China.
You say there are fewer tubes on the subs but the subs carry more than twice as much warheads as the MM3 force
While I'll agree mobile launchers are more survivable they are also more expensive and have logistical and security issues. A tractor-trailer in the highway can easily disappear but people will hate nuclear weapons randomly driving around the highways. That's why we went with Midgetman's off-road concept in the first place.
Does that mean "Russia is to some extent concerned about a nuke attack from Israel"? Hrmm. In what kind of scenario, with what goals?Russia has radars looking south (concerned with China and to a lesser extend Pakistan and Israel).
As I understood it, FOBS only applied to weapons capable of putting warheads into orbit, the warheads would travel a fraction of a fixed altitude orbit en route to target. An ICBM is not FOBS because it uses a ballistic arc, not a fraction of a fixed altitude orbit. It was during SALT II talks that they agreed it was prohibited under The Outer Space Treaty.The Outer Space Treaty entered into effect on October 1967, the R-36ORB entered service in November 1968 and was retired in January 1983, as part of SALT II which was signed in June 1979. The Outer Space Treaty does not forbid FOBS, it does however forbid MOBS (Multiple Orbital Bombardment System). Technically speaking any ICBM is a FOBS, since ballistic trajectories are "fractional" orbits.
That sounds like an excellent deterrent... for the UK to adopt.Who Needs ICBMs?
Spend the money on the other two legs of the nuclear triad, and improve global stability and U.S. security.www.defenseone.com
5 SSBNS, 40 bombers, no first use
SALT II did not mention the Outer Space Treaty, what it did was specifically call for the R-36ORB to be eliminated.Article VII
2. The Parties agree that:
Second Agreed Statement.
Second Common Understanding. Of the eighteen launchers of fractional orbital missiles at the test range where ICBMs are tested in the area of Tyura-Tam, twelve launchers shall be dismantled or destroyed and six launchers may be converted to launchers for testing missiles undergoing modernization.
Its quite simple, Russia and Iran are allies, Russia and Israel are not. Israel has nukes, Iran does not. I'm sure if Russia and Iran stop being allies and the Iranians get nukes, then Russia will be concerned about Iranian nukes.Does that mean "Russia is to some extent concerned about a nuke attack from Israel"? Hrmm. In what kind of scenario, with what goals?
And Russia would be more concerned about a nuke attack from Israel than, say, from Iran and its godcrazy proxies?
Newsroom
news.northropgrumman.com
Newsroom
news.northropgrumman.com
Interesting. It's not likeATKNorthrop Grumman is lacking for facilities around here.
(I don't know whether this is the right place for this, but the Bar seemed like a good spot)
May I ask how I can sign up to join the TBOverse forum? My browser doesn't display any means of signing up, and I think they recently locked all nonmembers out of the forum entirely, so I can't see any posts at all. All those lovely detailed Valkyrie and F-12B posts, locked away forever...
(I don't know whether this is the right place for this, but the Bar seemed like a good spot)
May I ask how I can sign up to join the TBOverse forum? My browser doesn't display any means of signing up, and I think they recently locked all nonmembers out of the forum entirely, so I can't see any posts at all. All those lovely detailed Valkyrie and F-12B posts, locked away forever...
So start a thread. Dropping your request in the middle of a random thread. . .
Stories from Inside Defense pay site:
Boeing transitions GBSD employees, issues stop-work order to suppliers
Following the Air Force's decision to stop funding Boeing's contract supporting the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program, the company has transitioned its employees to other internal jobs and issued a stop-work order to its suppliers.
Smith says he tried to ensure competition in ICBM replacement program, but was rebuffed by Boeing
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) is concerned the Air Force's $85 billion nuclear missile replacement will likely proceed with Northrop Grumman absent any competition, though he said he offered to help Boeing address its concerns about the program after the company announced it would not bid.
NNSA technical issues cause rebaselining of $2 billion ICBM fuze modernization program
The effort to replace the Mk21 reentry vehicle fuze -- intended to be deployed on the Air Force's legacy and future intercontinental ballistic missile systems -- is being rebaselined as a result of technical issues with energy storage components called capacitors
Two BILLION dollars to modernize something as trivial as a fuse?
Fuse and fuze can be used for either. American English tends to favour 'z', UK English favours 's'.
Is the fuse also part of the arm and kill security protocol? Maybe that explains the expense, or it maybe a typo. $2m seems more reasonable.