Article

2005-01-27 China-Japan-Koreas

N.Korea Has Bought Complete Nuclear Bomb

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve 2005-01-27 8:52:12 AM|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 But what about ongoing maintenance? Rantburg experts have assured us that without very frequent and persnickety maintenance, the thing quickly becomes useful only as an expensive, and radioactive, paperweight.

Posted by trailing wife 2005-01-27 10:43:38 AM|| 2005-01-27 10:43:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 They'll bring in Syrians with hammers to test for duds, just like in Ryongchon.

Posted by ed 2005-01-27 11:03:31 AM|| 2005-01-27 11:03:31 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 If it is one that uses tritium then the tritium has to be changed on a schedule depending on when the tritium was first made. It degrades over time. The bomb will still explode but will not be nearly as powerful. It's called a fizzle in the bomb society.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2005-01-27 11:39:02 AM|| 2005-01-27 11:39:02 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 or, as Ed so slyly noted? A "train accident"

Posted by Frank G 2005-01-27 11:43:46 AM|| 2005-01-27 11:43:46 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 "The purchase was apparently intended to avoid nuclear weapons testing that could be detected from the outside"

Would this be to disassemble the bomb to reverse engineer a proven design? But why would they need an actual weapon instead of just the plans, which Kahn was so freely selling? Perhaps this weapon is not the Kahn design.

Posted by DO 2005-01-27 12:31:13 PM|| 2005-01-27 12:31:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Don't bug us, Americans, or you go kaboom!

Posted by Kim Jong Hung Low 2005-01-27 2:44:06 PM|| 2005-01-27 2:44:06 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Unfortunately tritium boosters are good for around 4-7 years (4 if booster types are of very crude design and capability). But yeah you usually don't need to change the tritium for about 7 years which is a long time.

Posted by Valentine 2005-01-27 6:02:06 PM|| 2005-01-27 6:02:06 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Silly question: if they bought this thing so as not to reveal its existence by detectable testing, how come everybody/Reuters knows about it?

Posted by trailing wife 2005-01-27 8:23:15 PM|| 2005-01-27 8:23:15 PM|| Front Page Top

14:45 True German Ally
14:45 True German Ally
00:56 Unagum Ulomoper7151
00:56 Unagum Ulomoper7151
00:54 Gravise Spolutle2771
00:54 Gravise Spolutle2771
00:02 Denver Reader 303
23:58 Barbara Skolaut
23:52 AJackson
23:52 Seafarious
23:47 wadikitty
23:44 2xstandard
23:43 phil_b
23:39 RWV
23:25 RWV
23:22 Mike Sylwester
23:04 crazyhorse
22:58 Mike Kozlowski
22:58 Dishman
22:55 Alaska Paul
22:54 Dishman
22:53 Frank G
22:47 Jonathan
22:38 Jarhead