How to simulate a nuke without a nuke...
How to simulate a nuke without a nuke...
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ruggedscotty

Original Poster:

5,998 posts

240 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATLAS-I?fbclid=IwA...

just spent an interesting evening looking into this. when the cold war was at its height they were seriously worried about the effects of an EMP on the aircraft that they looked into a then made a similar EMP simulator to well simulate an EMP.

Quite a bit of the kit still exists, including the largest wooden metal free structure of its time...


dukeboy749r

3,943 posts

241 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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That’s fascinating. Thanks for posting.

dukeboy749r

3,943 posts

241 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
quotequote all
That’s fascinating. Thanks for posting.

dudleybloke

20,553 posts

217 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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Tango13

10,163 posts

207 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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Interesting article, the site gets some good reviews too wink

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qiLvzU43p1MYPwUi6

There's also a rocket sled test facility, the youtube video on the website is interesting.

https://www.sandia.gov/vqsec/facilities/rocket-sle...

e600

1,522 posts

183 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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Not quite so high tech, I recall the test apparatus for checking survivability of “stuff” bolted or fixed to external surfaces of main battle tanks and similar.

Items such as light machine gun mounts, radio aerial bases, smoke grenade discharges etc

The vehicle to be tested was driven under a large tower and the hatches secured. A loud siren started with a short countdown from 5 and then tower floor opened which released many thousands of gallons of water almost all at once onto the vehicle. This simulated a nuclear blast as overpressure.

Interestingly rubber mounted equipment fared well, bolted on stowage bins not so well.

otolith

69,550 posts

235 months

Roofless Toothless

7,583 posts

163 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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At Duxford Museum they have a hangar containing a B52 bomber, looking very much like the one in Dr Strangelove. It is parked up close to an overhead walkway that gives you a very close look down into the cockpit.

The last time I was there I noticed that there were heavy curtains on the inside of all the windows that could be pulled across in order to shut out all light from the outside. I realised these were there to protect the crew from the flash of a nuclear explosion. It was one of the most chilling moments of my life.

hammo19

7,844 posts

227 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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Roofless Toothless said:
At Duxford Museum they have a hangar containing a B52 bomber, looking very much like the one in Dr Strangelove. It is parked up close to an overhead walkway that gives you a very close look down into the cockpit.

The last time I was there I noticed that there were heavy curtains on the inside of all the windows that could be pulled across in order to shut out all light from the outside. I realised these were there to protect the crew from the flash of a nuclear explosion. It was one of the most chilling moments of my life.
If you want another chill read up about the history of the Vulcan bomber. Or better still come and visit our Vulcan at the Solway Aviation Museum and I’ll give you the cockpit tour along with the real stories behind the development of the aircraft and the one way mission.

bitchstewie

68,241 posts

241 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
quotequote all
Roofless Toothless said:
At Duxford Museum they have a hangar containing a B52 bomber, looking very much like the one in Dr Strangelove. It is parked up close to an overhead walkway that gives you a very close look down into the cockpit.

The last time I was there I noticed that there were heavy curtains on the inside of all the windows that could be pulled across in order to shut out all light from the outside. I realised these were there to protect the crew from the flash of a nuclear explosion. It was one of the most chilling moments of my life.
Sleep well hehe


Hill92

5,479 posts

221 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
quotequote all
hammo19 said:
Roofless Toothless said:
At Duxford Museum they have a hangar containing a B52 bomber, looking very much like the one in Dr Strangelove. It is parked up close to an overhead walkway that gives you a very close look down into the cockpit.

The last time I was there I noticed that there were heavy curtains on the inside of all the windows that could be pulled across in order to shut out all light from the outside. I realised these were there to protect the crew from the flash of a nuclear explosion. It was one of the most chilling moments of my life.
If you want another chill read up about the history of the Vulcan bomber. Or better still come and visit our Vulcan at the Solway Aviation Museum and I’ll give you the cockpit tour along with the real stories behind the development of the aircraft and the one way mission.
As well as the blinds, USAF bomber pilots also have Polarised Lead Zirconium Titanate lenses to protecf against flash blindness.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/7975/this-is...

RAF bomber pilots had an eye patch to protect one eye. When the uncovered was blinded, they swapped the patch to the other eye and carried on. Not exactly ideal when there may be multiple nuclear explosions blasting a gap through soviet air defences ahead of them.

simon_harris

3,227 posts

65 months

Sunday 14th January 2024
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hammo19 said:
If you want another chill read up about the history of the Vulcan bomber. Or better still come and visit our Vulcan at the Solway Aviation Museum and I’ll give you the cockpit tour along with the real stories behind the development of the aircraft and the one way mission.
My wife’s uncle flew Vulcans including while armed apparently…