Good Riddance

The United States is dismantling the last of it’s giant B53 thermonuclear bombs.  This 9 megaton monstrosity, the size of a mini-van was developed in the late 1950s and put into service in 1962.  It was carried aboard the B-52 Stratofortress during the Cold War.

With its destruction, the next largest bomb in operation will be the B83, said Hans Kristensen, a spokesman for the Federation of American Scientists. It’s 1.2 megatons, while the B53 was 9 megatons.

The B53’s disassembly ends the era of big megaton bombs, he said. The bombs’ size helped compensate for their lack of accuracy. Today’s bombs are smaller but more precise, reducing the amount of collateral damage, Kristensen said.

It will not be missed.

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1 thought on “Good Riddance

  1. Amen to that.

    The total cost of the nuclear weapons program is unknown. The cleanup of the nuclear production facilitates alone will take billions of dollars over many years. Certainly not something most people want to pay attention to. And who needs to? It’s not like the waste might seep into the Columbia River. Our concrete containment vessels will last most of a century, right? Right?……

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