| 9/5/2007 4:36:48 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
starlightnight
Lebanon, KY
age: 30
| B-52 carried 5 nuclear warheads
K.C. ALFRED / AP
A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with five nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation, three officers told the Military Times on condition of anonymity.
The B-52 was loaded with advanced cruise missiles (ACMs), part of a Defense Department effort to decommission 400 ACMs. But the nuclear warheads should have been removed before being transported to Barksdale, the officers said. The missiles were mounted onto the pylons of the bomber's wings.
ACMs carry a warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons and are designed for delivery by B-52 strategic bombers.
Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Ed Thomas said the transfer was safely conducted and the weapons were in Air Force custody and control at all times.
Air Force officials wouldn't specify whether nuclear weapons were involved, in accord with policy, Thomas said.
[Edited 9/5/2007 4:39:53 PM]
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| 9/5/2007 4:42:49 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
krupa1
Abilene, TX
age: 40
| Not sure what the problem is.......I live within 12 miles of the largest stockpile of Nuclear weapons on the planet.
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| 9/5/2007 4:54:19 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
starlightnight
Lebanon, KY
age: 30
| Several problems: #1, the protocol was breached, those nukes were loaded by mistake, the crew didn't even know they were there until they reached LA, and the even bigger problem, no one noticed they were missing yet. #2, No nuclear weapons are allowed to be flown over the continentinal US. #3, If that plane went down, their would have been a lot of cancer and radiation poisoning in those areas. #4, and it wasn't mentioned in this article, but I thought it was odd, an officer mentioned something along the lines of 'don't worry, that plane wasn't even schelduled for training drills, those missles wouldn't have even been launched...' Glad it was on that plane then...
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| 9/5/2007 5:10:16 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
knightnyte2
Spring, TX
age: 55
| this is another of those news media stupid blowing something that really isnt a big deal. did you know those nuclear weapons have to be armed before blowing up? You could crashed the plane without a single incident. No KaBoom!!!!!!! When a B-52 takes off for iraq, or where ever.. they have nuclear weapons on board and you never hear about that. Media hype for what surely was a mistake, but missing nukes? na...
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| 9/5/2007 5:59:09 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
starlightnight
Lebanon, KY
age: 30
| Knight, I never suggested they could be detonated, only that security checks were either ignored or a major breakdown in protocol took place, and that in the case of a crash, plutonium leakage would present the danger of radiation poisoning. And nuclear weapons are flown on transport planes, not bombers.
Check out the same story from armytimes.com for a more complete version of what happened. The article is too big post here:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/09/airforce_nuclear_warhead_070905/
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| 9/5/2007 6:05:35 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
knightnyte2
Spring, TX
age: 55
| Not denying protocol was broken. Mistakes made, and those responsible have been Fired already. The coverage I heard mentioned the explosions when the nukes hit the ground via a crash.
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| 9/5/2007 6:30:29 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
krupa1
Abilene, TX
age: 40
| It does happen brother.....in complex or simple proceedures....mistakes will be made. How ever when you consider the mass sale of weapons from within the remains of the countries that were the U.S.S.R...specifically to middle eastern...north african and no soviet-bloc Asian countries....what was poorly handled...was poorly handled by the military of the country that I distrust the least.
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| 9/5/2007 6:43:40 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
starlightnight
Lebanon, KY
age: 30
| No disagreements there Krupa. Nuclear weapons make me edgy, no matter who posseses them.
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| 9/5/2007 6:46:56 PM | Flying the friendly skies | |
krupa1
Abilene, TX
age: 40
| True my man....myself as well...Yet, it is better to have them and not need them......than need them and not have them.
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