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so how to test it ?
In a 1991 Strategic Affairs article entitled "Countering the Threat of the Well-armed Tyrant," Los Alamos weapons analysts Thomas Dowler and Joseph Howard II, argued that the US has no proportionate response to a rogue dictator who uses chemical or biological weapons against US troops. Our smallest nuclear weapons � those with Hiroshima-size yields�would be so devastating that no US president could use them. We would be "self-deterred." To counter this dilemma, they argued the US should develop "mininukes," with yields equivalent to 0.01-1 KT: "... nuclear weapons with very low yields could provide an effective response for countering the enemy in such a crisis, while not violating the principle of proportionality."
More recently, in a speech to the Nuclear Security Decisionmakers Forum, Sandia Laboratory Director Paul Robinson stated
Oh like this one? www.johnstonsarchive.net... then go ask DPRK, they did a test on Dec 2012. Could they be real?? DPRK is no fool we just think they are.. Never underestimate your foe. Sun Tzu suntzusaid.com... Yes but they only tested a below 10 kt nuke if that , well the point is it went off here is a test from the link www.johnstonsarchive.net... to prove it,it does not need to be a full size to see it works just that it works the yeld will be form 20 to 200 kt or more here is a 20 kt min 200 max test was 67 in red
But could the US deploy a new low-yield nuclear earth-penetrating weapon without testing it? Under continued political pressure to support the Test Ban and its related Stockpile Stewardship Program, Los Alamos Associate Director Steve Younger has stated, "one could design and deploy a new set of nuclear weapons that do not require nuclear testing to be certified. However, ... such simple devices would be based on a very limited nuclear test database."
1973 MAR 8 16:10:00.19 NTS-YF 37.10358 -116.02672 U7ad -568.39 1279 UG-S WR 20 200 67 S 67 5.40 340 V LANL 1,2,5,6,8,q
edit on 6-8-2013 by bekod because: line editedit on 6-8-2013 by bekod because: added link, line edit
Originally posted by concernedcitizen519
reply to post by camaro68ss
Not by themselves, but with help from sympathetic countries it could be possible. It's scary when you realize that they've been trading tech with Iran for decades now. I wouldn't count on them being full nuclear weapons, but maybe dirty-bombs? Very plausible.edit on 31-7-2013 by concernedcitizen519 because: spelling
Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by Adaluncatif
Seriously, you need to work on that chip on your shoulder. Smaller nukes are actually harder to make than large nukes. You need better technology, and have to be more precise than with a larger nuke, or you get a fizzle. It's not easy shrinking a nuclear warhead to ICBM sized, let alone to backpack sized.
Originally posted by mbkennel
Originally posted by concernedcitizen519
reply to post by camaro68ss
Not by themselves, but with help from sympathetic countries it could be possible. It's scary when you realize that they've been trading tech with Iran for decades now. I wouldn't count on them being full nuclear weapons, but maybe dirty-bombs? Very plausible.edit on 31-7-2013 by concernedcitizen519 because: spelling
They would be suicide bombers then. Not really DPRK's style.
Very small nuclear weapons require a large amount of tritium, which has to be produced in a nuclear reactor, and decays.