Reply #9: West's submarine nuclear warheads flawed, say scientists

[seemslikeadream]

By Francis Harris in Washington
(Filed: 04/04/2005)

British and American nuclear warheads carried by submarines are so poorly designed that they may fail to detonate if fired, scientists have said.

The news emerged after interviews with a group of American scientists with ties to the Los Alamos nuclear research facility, where the first atomic weapon was manufactured.

One of them, Richard Morse, of the University of Arizona and a former Los Alamos weapons designer, said the casing of the W76 nuclear warhead was so thin that it would probably fail if used. The British Trident warhead, the country's sole nuclear weapon, is based on the W76.

Mr Morse said: "What is out there on those boats is at best unreliable and probably much worse."
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