Nuclear Weapons Still Made in U.S.?

Are nukes in the USA still made?

I talked to my aunts boyfriend and he said that his brother makes the laser to split the atom in a nuke, and works for a goverment lab.

Thx

Mod edit: changed title, spelling

[edit on 22-9-2004 by Spectre]

Interesting question... It would seem so, I know some people in the Ordnance business... Of course, there are several ways of getting around treaties, such as using the same material, but in a newer missile, etc. I suppose.

Originally posted by Laxpla
...the laser to split the atom in a nuke, and works for a goverment lab.

That tells pretty much.

Tell him to check this site, especially Background and Nuclear weapon FAQ from reference library.
nuclearweaponarchive.org...

Well I don't know about actual production but I'm pretty sure the nuclear research labs are still active. In fact the US military may actually be developing new ICBMs and nuclear bunker busters in the near future.

BTW I I'm pretty sure you misspelled the topic. Its nuclear. Sorry I have to be so specific.

They don't use lasers to split atoms.
I really doubt he works for a lab if that's what he's saying.
I bet the government is making more nukes, but civilians have no idea it's happening. Or other countries for that matter.

Heres a quick rundown on whats going on with weapons in the US.

The US no longer produces Pu239 all the production reactors have been shutdown and the weapons stockpiles are being decreased. However TVA has been producing Tritium in its commercial reactors since it has a short shelf life. Currently I believe Pantex in Texas is disassembling alot of our Pu pits, which are then to be blended into MOX for commercial reactor fuel. The first shipment of Pu just went to France and they are to produce MOX fuel assemblies for Duke Power. Los Alamos is in the process of reconstituting Pu cores and sometime in the future a new facility is to be built to do this job as needed to maintain stockpile reliability. In addition about half of commerical US reactors are running on ex-Russia weapons grade U that has been blended down. The US gets 20% of its electricity from nukes and roughly around one in ten homes in the US is powered by Russian stockpiled weapons material. Thats very impressive indeed, swords into ploughshares.

According to figures I've read, the last nuclear weapon built in the US was made in 1994. I suppose something could still secretly going on, or it could just be research for nuclear technologies or something else entirely

According to figures I've read, the last nuclear weapon built in the US was made in 1994. I suppose something could still secretly going on, or it could just be research for nuclear technologies or something else entirely

Wait, America has WMDs?!!? Send in the weapons inspectors!

Just to clarify I should have said 20% of US electricity comes from nuclear power plants instead nukes. I meant nukes=nuclear power plants, but someone might have thought i meant weapons. Only about half of the enriched uranium used to produce that 20% of electrical power is from Russia. Plus i wrote ploughshares instead of plowshares, that was me not proof reading.

Whilst the US doesn't make fissile material anymore, it has recently reconstituted their plutonium 'pit' manufacturing capabilities which were shut down in 1989. So in 2003 they produced their first pit in 14 years for the W88 Trident 2 warhead. The plutomium 'pits' are used in the 1st stage ( spark plug ) of a thermonuclear weapon.

The FY2003 NNSA budget request provided for adding as many as 10 new W88 warheads to the stockpile per year beginning as early as 2007. In 2003 Los Alamos delivered the first certifiable W88 pit from the interim pit production capability. This was the first certifiable pit made by the United States since the shut down of Rocky Flats in 1989....

....As of 2001 the United States was the only nuclear weapons state that cannot produce plutonium pits for its weapons. Milestones continued to slip for production and certification of a plutonium pit for a W88 warhead at the interim Los Alamos TA-55 facility. Conceptual design work for an adequate long-term facility continues to be delayed.

globalsecurity.org...

Well Dan5, I do know that he is not lieing. He's been with here for around 10 years. If he is lieing then you are right, but I highly doubt he is.

First thing I came up with when searching was this.

www.llnl.gov...

The US currently is probably not producing new warheads - we have several thousand in storage. However, the neutron primer source in most of them deteriorate after a few years on the shelf, so they must be replaced if you want it to work right the first time... *cough*

There's been talk about building a bunker-buster nuke, but that concept seems a wee bit sketchy to me, and anyways is just in the planning process.

Oh, and BTW, modern H-bombs don't actually use tritrium, they use deuterated lithium that is bombarded by hard x-rays by the primer to produce tritrium - much safer and stabler.

The u.s. is making new warheads under our noses; Countries like russia continue to make new warheads and recycle our old warheads that we send to them to disarm. If other people break the rules we do to

This is what I've found so far on the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator and the low-yield nuclear weapons:

feinstein.senate.gov/
According to press reports, the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review cited the need to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons and suggested a �new triad� which blurred the lines between conventional and nuclear forces. I keep mentioning that because this paper is often postulated as a throwaway -- don�t pay attention to it -- but it is a very important statement of administration policy.

As early as 2001, this administration was creating a new triad of strategic forces, and one part of that would be the nuclear triad -- in other words, the creation of new weapons that could be used along with conventional weapons.

This document also names seven countries -- not all of them possessing nuclear weapons -- against which we would consider launching a nuclear first strike.

H.R. 4614
Energy and Water Appropriations Act for FY 2005
Atomic Energy Defense Activities

H.R. 4614 provides $16.74 billion for the Energy Department to pursue defense-related atomic energy activities, $443 million more than in FY 2004 and $52.6 million less than the president�s request. Specific appropriations are detailed below.

* National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA will be appropriated at $9 billion, $372 million more than last year and $21.5 million less than the president�s request. This administration became effective on March 1, 2000; however the Department was slow to institute the Congressionally mandated changes.
* Weapons Activities. The measure appropriates $6.5 billion, $278.9 million more than last year and $54 million less than the president�s request for various nuclear weapons activities. This account maintains confidence in the safety, security, reliability and performance of America�s nuclear weapons� stockpile. Specifically, funds are used for: (1) maintenance, R&D, engineering, and certification of the nuclear stockpile; (2) the three national labs, Nevada test site, weapons production plants, and selected external organizations; (3) the physical operations and infrastructure of the labs; (4) the transportation of weapons and materials; and (5) program direction. The measure does not fund proposed initiatives for advanced weapons concepts, including the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, for enhanced test readiness, and for the Modern Pit Facility.
* Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation. Consistent with the establishment of the NNSA, the committee provides a separate account for this program and appropriates $1.34 billion ($28.8 million more than last year and the same as the president�s request) for it. Specifically, the funds will be allocated to Nonproliferation and Verification R&D, Arms Control, International Materials Protection, Control and Accounting, the Long-term Nonproliferation Program for Russia, HEU Transparency Implementation, International Nuclear Safety, Fissile Materials Disposition, and Program Direction. The measure reduces funding for the domestic mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant and applies it to other high priority nonproliferation needs.
* Naval Reactors. Also, consistent with the establishment of the NNSA, the committee provides a separate account for this program and appropriates $807.9 million, $46 million more than last year and $10 million more than the president�s request. This program is responsible for all aspects of naval nuclear propulsion�from technology development through reactor operations, and finally reactor plant disposal.
* Other Defense Activities. The measure provides $697 million, $26.5 million more than in FY 2004 and $33.4 million more than the president�s request, for a variety of defense-related nuclear programs, nuclear safeguards, security investigations, the Office of Independent oversight, worker and community transition assistance, and the office of Hearings and Appeals.