Navy's Trident Nuclear Warheads Hit the Highway, Bound for Texas

[unhappycamper]

Navy's Trident Nuclear Warheads Hit the Highway, Bound for Texas
By Ed Friedrich
Kitsap Sun
Posted November 27, 2010 at 4:03 p.m.

BANGOR — Hundreds of nuclear warheads are secretly being trucked between Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor and the Texas panhandle to have their lives extended.

The 100-kiloton W76 warheads are between 23 and 32 years old and need to be upgraded, according to the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

Bangor’s eight Trident ballistic-missile submarines can each carry 24 D5 missiles. Those missiles can each carry up to eight W76 warheads.

Workers at the Pantex Plant outside of Amarillo, Texas, will add about 30 years to the weapons’ lives.

The plant, which is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, will refurbish the nuclear explosive package, the arming, firing and fusing system, and the gas transfer system, according to the NNSA.

[blogslut]

1. Full circle

http://www.peacefarm.us">The Peace Farm protested the Trident missiles back in the early 90's, when GHWB's administration refused to acknowledge they existed. Now the things are coming back to their finishing shop for maintenance.

I guess that means they're real.

[Angry Dragon]

2. When I first read the title, I thought some of them fell off the

transports and we would find some in the ditch.

[leveymg]

3. That's how I read it, too. Kinda gives, "Fell off the back of a truck" a new meaning.

Like how they did the proliferation business after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

How much do they want these days for an W-88, anyway? I won't shell out a dime more than what the Chinese paid in 1988. :nuke: :patriot: :hide: B-) :evilgrin: B-) :hide: :patriot: :nuke: :yoiks:

[NNN0LHI]

4. Should we be sending these things to a state whose governor wants to secede from the union?