Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Britains Nuclear Deterrent

  • 28-11-2010 2:11am
    #1
    Jeboa Safari
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭


    There was a fantasy story in the dailymail about WW3 kicking off in Korea, here, based on whats happening there at the moment. One line caught my eye, it said Britains nuclear missiles were entirely dependent on American guidance systems to find thier target, was wondering if this is true?


Comments

  • #2
    OS119
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,518 ✭✭✭OS119


    Jeboa Safari wrote: »
    There was a fantasy story in the dailymail about WW3 kicking off in Korea, here, based on whats happening there at the moment. One line caught my eye, it said Britains nuclear missiles were entirely dependent on American guidance systems to find thier target, was wondering if this is true?

    its a bit true, but not really true

    the missiles get their pre-launch guidence from the Submarine - which uses 3 systems to determine its exact position, the US GPS (which they could switch off, but switching it off would be a pain in the arse and would cause all manner of problems for US forces) an Inertial Navigation System - which is magnets and stuff in the sub which the fisheads use to work out where they are, and old fashioned navigation with a sextant that use the sun and stars to produce a LAT/LONG.

    GPS is easiest and most accurate, and allows the D5 to be used as a counterforce weapon (it'll hit within 25m or so of its target allowing it to be used against hardened missile silos), however the other two can produce a fix of 500m to a mile, allowing the warheads to be fired against a less pinpoint target.

    the warheads - currently between 3 and 1 per missile, but technically up to a much larger number per missile - have selected yeilds, all are the same warhead, but they have a 'dial-a-yeild' triggering system, some are set for low yeild, tactical use (anywhere between 0.2 kt and 20kt), and others at sub-strategic levels of around 100kt.

    even if the US denied the use of the GPS system the submarine would still be able to launch the missiles with a maximum error or about a mile - and using 3 100kt warheads means that just doesn't matter against anything but the most hardened target, and even then, while the most protected facility might survive, nothing else would. in the Daily Fail's scenario Kim Jong Il or Kim Jong Un might live, but all his senior commanders would know that their families wouldn't, so deterrence (in all its obcenity) would still work.


Advertisement