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#41
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01-08-2015, 05:57 PM
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 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:63 male Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 24,213 Mentioned: 169 Post(s) Quoted: 11648 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Not sure where you get your figures but we have detonated over 2000 nuclear bombs on earth so far... earth is fine, we are fine, granted there are some elevated levels of rare cancers and deformities in regions where bombs were dropped, other than that life went on and would in a small scale nuclear conflict. Even if we detonated everything it would pail in comparison to large asteroid impacts or even the power released in earthquakes, life still goes on. Nuclear weapons while devastating for us are akin to shooting a paintball gun at an elephant. |
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#42
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01-08-2015, 06:27 PM
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 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:100 Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 16,280 Mentioned: 62 Post(s) Quoted: 8638 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
The bombs that were detonated were not for the most part what is around today....... Fat man and little boy were 20 and 15 kilotons..... The united state developed hydrogen bombs at 25 megatons, and the soviets as high as 50 ( and could have gone theoretically to 100 MT) . The total of all explosives used in WW2, including the 2 atomic bombs, was 3 megatons. 1 trident missile can carry 12 warheads, each contains 475 kilotons..... Each sub has 24 missiles...... Scary shit. |
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#43
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01-08-2015, 07:27 PM
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 Poster Rank:77 dude Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 19,454
Contributions: 1
Mentioned: 42 Post(s) Quoted: 8690 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Realistically even with today's standard bombs, we don't have enough to completely destroy the earth. And it would take every bomb that every country owns to launch and land at once, strategically spaced to even put every living being at some level of minimal risk. Bomb designs use to be in the interest of fallout spread. But since even spending a few weeks in a shelter could mitigate it's purpose, the focus has been on air burst damage. So now bigger bombs with bigger boom, but smaller fallout radius. |
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#44
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01-08-2015, 07:36 PM
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 My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:414 Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,795 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 1044 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
If nuclear power plants, fuel cycle installations and waste dumps were targeted, the fallout would inevitably contaminate water supplies.
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#45
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01-08-2015, 09:44 PM
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| ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:63 male Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 24,213 Mentioned: 169 Post(s) Quoted: 11648 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Scary for us sure, but as far as damaging the earth... on some physics forum they did a bunch of calculations on the effect of all the nukes ever going off at once in one place and it would take 10^18 tsar bombas to alter our orbit like what an earthquake like the one that hit japan would do in 2011. Wiki has a nice list, apparently we have released 500 megatons of nuclear bombs, earth has 30k nuclear warheads with 7000 total megatons ready to go right now. We don't even have enough nukes to kill everyone on the planet IMO. Nukes scared me when I was younger, not so much now... big ass bomb with shitty fallout... thats about it. |
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#46
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01-09-2015, 02:24 PM
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| My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:414 Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,795 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 1044 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Its true; you mention the words "nuclear weapon" to the average Joe and they shit themselves. And THAT is the weapon; terror. Just the idea that nuclear weapons would once again be used in anger, would be so psychologically traumatising that size really wouldnt matter at all. The worlds nuclear arsenals total around 5000 megatons. The "Tsar" or "Big Ivan" was the only one of its type built; it was a political statement, not a useable weapon.
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#47
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01-09-2015, 07:24 PM
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| ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:100 Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 16,280 Mentioned: 62 Post(s) Quoted: 8638 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Still though, when you think that the bombs that hit Japan were 15 and 20 kilotons, and each warhead on a trident packs 475 kilotons........ And each missile has 12 warheads.... And every sub has 24 missiles...... That's one hell of a lot of firepower  |
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#48
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01-10-2015, 07:08 AM
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| My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:414 Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,795 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 1044 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
One Ohio class submarine and its nuclear payload contain more firepower than all of the bombs and explosives used in ww2 by a factor of around 40. These boats have the ability to literally destroy a continent and change history. That is terrifying and awesome to behold, and a very sobering thought to a nation that might do something stupid.
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#49
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01-10-2015, 07:10 AM
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| My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:414 Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,795 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 1044 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Its awesome in the true sense of the word. Although if the Trident 2 (D5) is carrying its full payload of 12 mirvs, each warhead delivers a yield of "only" 100 kilotons each. The higher yield is on the lower number of warheads. Even so, 100 kilotons is still 5 times as powerful as the first fission bombs used on Japan, and would definitely spoil your day. Dont forget Russias Borei class submarines though; they are carrying the new Bulava missile, which can carry up to 8 warheads too.
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#50
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01-10-2015, 07:18 AM
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| My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:414 Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 2,795 Mentioned: 6 Post(s) Quoted: 1044 Post(s)
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Re: US and RUSSIA in Danger of Returning to Era of Nuclear Rivalry.
Yeah thats true I suppose; like I said the projected consequences which arent known are just as important as the ones for which knowledge exists; however, both are subject to very large variables. During the height of the arms race, just before the USSR collapsed, the two superpowers had over 25,000 nuclear weapons at their disposal The USA/NATO had the SIOP; the Single Integrated Operational Plan, which was the secret warplan for launching up to 12,000 nuclear attacks on targets in the USSR and its allies The two superpowers were spending $50 million A DAY on nuclear weapons and the USSR just couldnt keep up. |
