If the UK had ever been nuked...

[paddyhasneeds]

Where would they have nuked? I mean back in the days of the cold war?

I seem to recall a documentary where an old Russian general said that the Russians didn't pay much attention to the UK because they figured 8 missiles and we'd be an island made entirely of glass.

[paddyhasneeds]

So, the moral of the story seems to be, if you have to be anywhere when all this goes down, be in South America?

[paddyhasneeds]

Not Australia apparently, I think that's where our remaining nuclear subs would be headed.

[paddyhasneeds]

Some of those links of the Minuteman are fascinating. I'd heard the term MIRV and knew what it stood for, but never actually looked at the physics of it - fking amazing but terrifying at the same time quite frankly.

[paddyhasneeds]

Gwagon111 said:

My working life pretty much revolves (no pun intended) around rotation rate sensing. It's funny to think that if my work ever got returned to me, it would be the last thing that was .

So is it literally as "simple" as the video makes it look? Boost into orbit, "loiter" above your intended continent and drop the warheads in the right direction so their internal systems take over?

[paddyhasneeds]

Halb said:

I was looking for an old QED episode and found this one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AYMS1po0L8

Cheery. Thanks

Just the one megaton too.

[bitchstewie]

How does our system work if the PM or someone very senior in the military loses the plot?

[bitchstewie]

Tango13 said:

bhstewie said:

How does our system work if the PM or someone very senior in the military loses the plot?

The PM cannot order a nuclear strike, only authorise one. So if the PM were to lose the plot and order a pre-emptive strike the Top Brass would I'd imagine simply refuse.

So what happens if the top brass go a little wibble?

[bitchstewie]

I think I may have mentioned on this thread (haven't recapped all 15 pages) but I remember some documentary with some old Russian general who basically laughed and said something like 8 missiles or warheads (forget which) would have taken care of the UK - they didn't really give us too much thought as a land mass apparently.