The End of the World as we know it GB

[Spey Phantom]

ive been playing with the idea for a Belgian B-29, B-2, B-52 or Tu-95 nuclear armed bomber 

[TerryCampion]

How about a Northrop B-2 in Bangladesh markings?

Seriously though, got some post-apocalypse models done already, but I quite fancy something new :)

[jcf]

There was no Little Boy test as they only had enough U235 for the single weapon.

The earlier configurations for the 'gun-type' weapons, the uranium Little Boy and plutonium Thin Man, were 17 feet long and at one point carriage by a Lancaster was proposed. One B-29 was modified
to  have a single 33' long bomb-bay, this was referred to as the 'Pullman' aircraft. However it was discovered that the projectile speed requirement for U235 wasn't as high as thought, so the weapon was able to be shortened to six feet, allowing carriage in the standard B-29 bays.

The casing design for the gun-type plutonium weapon was built and tested by air-drops from the
Pullman B-29, aerodynamic performance was poor and the realities of plutonium fission meant that
they had to go the implosion route.

Thin Man casings with Fat Man casings in the background.


The single point bomb carriage/release mechanism was the same that had been developed
in the UK for Tallboy and Grand Slam.

[Rickshaw]

Israel ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapons_and_Israel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

lets not forget South Africa is the only country known to have developed nuclear weapons but removed them from the inventory (prior to handover to an ANC goverment)
i understand the Buccaneer was the delivery aircraft chosen, indeed one airframe was upgraded and fitted out for the role #414 ? (the SA. weapons casing looking very similar to the uk.s 'Red Beard' store)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction

both Argentina, Brazil, Australia and even Sweden have all had nuclear weapons programmes historically, the latters air dropped store looking similar to the contempoary US. B.28/43/61 store

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_nuclear_weapon_program

i dont think based upon assessments that N.Korea is a nuclear state, smoke and mirrors with the pretence suiting both sides, but what if ...

for 'what if' scenarios, there is always WW2, with Germany, the US. and Japan all having atomic weapons programmes (i stil wonder why the US. never 'tested' the 'Little Boy' weapon ('Trinity' was a test of the Plutonium 'Fat Man' type device)
I cant really see a UK. weapon being designed and deployed during WW2 but speculativly the US. might let us use a one of theirs as a Lancaster load or as part of a hypothetical lend lease B.29 transfer !

cheers, Joe

Australia while interested in the idea never really got anywhere with it.   In the late 1940s, the UK was preparing plans to fight from the "periphery" of the Empire, fully expecting the UK to be devastated in any atomic war.  It looked seriously at developing nuclear industries in Canada, Southern Africa and Australia.   Canada however was deemed by the US to be too important to its own defence needs and Washington made studied efforts to lure it away from its allegiance to London.  Southern Africa was too under-developed although there was serious consideration to developing hydro-election power systems in Rhodesia for use in Uranium refining and enrichment.   Australia because of its relative remoteness, its willingness to participate in such a nuclear programme (Canberra saw it as a cheap way to buy into the ability to build atomic weapons) was chosen as the best candidate.   The Australian Government put in train three highly significant programmes to support such an endeavour.  The Australian National University was established in Canberra to provide the theoretical and technical training of a future workforce.  The Snowy Hydro-Electric scheme was created to supply power to any potential Uranium refining and enrichment industry and of course Woomera was developed as an Atomic testing range.

The US government had no real interest in sharing atomic secrets with Canberra which it viewed with suspicion because of the revelations of the Verona SIGINT intercepts, which pointed to heavy Soviet infiltration and spy activities (although I've often wondered exactly what secrets they could find downunder which made such an effort worthwhile) which were later revealed in the Petrov defection.   The UK government was more interested in gaining access to US atomic secrets but under the McMahon Act were prevented from doing so, so they weren't willing to really share what they did know with Canberra for fear of upsetting their effort to gain access to US atomic secrets.   The Australian Nuclear Weapons programme remained largely a pipedream throughout the 1950s and 1960s.  Apart from the three programmes mentioned, not much was done seriously to either support or implement such a plan.   Prime Minister John Gorton (1968-1971) was keen on the idea but when he was deposed as PM, his replacement William McMahon finally sealed its fate, decreeing it too expensive, signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Pact and set Australia as a main supporter of that UN treaty.

[Brian da Basher]

The World will now end on Nov. 11th!

The ITEOTWAWKI GB deadline has been extended until 11:59 PM on November 11th!

Brian da Basher & The Zod

[GTX_Admin]

[Dr. YoKai]

The World will now end on Nov. 11th!

The ITEOTWAWKI GB deadline has been extended until 11:59 PM on November 11th!

Brian da Basher & The Zod

 Well. That makes particpating a moral imperitive.

[Brian da Basher]

Knowing that many of you need more time, especially those affected by Hurricane Sandy,

the New Deadline is

11:59 PM Friday, November 30th

so get those entries in!

Brian da Basher & The Zod

[Tophe]

this song will play in loop aal day here on December 21 

December 21 is past, and it seems we are still here (this World does not look like Heaven, nor Hell). So this "End of the World" was just a joke, or a lttle sadness.
Like the beautiful old song of Skeeter Davis.

THE END OF THE WORLD by Skeeter Davis