??? asked:
Can someone tell how this could possibly be a mistake ?
Considering that the Barksdale base is a staging point for Middle East operations this doesnt sound like a mistake.
Cruise missiles are a strategic weapon not a deterrent or reactive weapon. So i would have thought anything that is a strategic weapon would only be armed with nuclear warheads at the last possible moment be use of them in theatre.
Can anyone tell me if this is the case with nuclear armed strategic weapons ?
What do you mean they were not armed. Do you mean they were not primed or that they had no warheads on the missiles. Which i believe they has already said they did, else they would only be Cruise missiles wouldnt they.
Please feel free to correct me on fact about the structure of the missiles as I am not an expert.
LUCKY MAN: It was reported that the Missiles were mounted on the wing mounts. I believe that is the standard practice on B52s rather than them be inside the plane.
Can someone tell how this could possibly be a mistake ?
Considering that the Barksdale base is a staging point for Middle East operations this doesnt sound like a mistake.
Cruise missiles are a strategic weapon not a deterrent or reactive weapon. So i would have thought anything that is a strategic weapon would only be armed with nuclear warheads at the last possible moment be use of them in theatre.
Can anyone tell me if this is the case with nuclear armed strategic weapons ?
What do you mean they were not armed. Do you mean they were not primed or that they had no warheads on the missiles. Which i believe they has already said they did, else they would only be Cruise missiles wouldnt they.
Please feel free to correct me on fact about the structure of the missiles as I am not an expert.
LUCKY MAN: It was reported that the Missiles were mounted on the wing mounts. I believe that is the standard practice on B52s rather than them be inside the plane.
They weren’t armed. That info was incorrect.
Every base in the continental US is a staging base. Barksdale just happens to be the only other base aside from Minot AFB that hosts B-52’s, so yes it was a mistake.
Barksdale is a B-52 base. I cannot get into specifics, however, B-52s are still on alert every once and a while and they are capable of carrying nuclear tipped cruise missiles. Barksdale does have nukes on its premises.
The missiles should not have been in the plane. This was the mistake.They should have been removed before takeoff.
Dang. What has this world come too???
To arm a Nuclear warhead two men of very high rank have to get the codes from separate safes, then call the president validate codes, call the pentagon re-validate the code, wait for the phone to ring……President says arm it. Go through a very long arming sequence. Warhead is armed. This process did not happen. Even if the pilot went crazy and decided to bomb Omaha all that would happen is a small explosion, about 250 pounds of explosives. Enough to maybe take down a building. The Nuclear reaction would not have started!!!! No fall out!!! No city destroying!!!! You are safe!!!! Please stop being paranoid about it.
Well considering that Barksdale AFB is home of the
2nd Bomb Wing and already has all the weapons and warheads it needs.
Why would they go to such trouble ?
The AGM-86’s were being transferred to be decommissioned.
Cruise missiles can accept conventional or nuclear warheads depending on model number.
AGM-86B’s are the nuclear version, they are being replaced by the AGM-129.
AGM-86C are the conventional versions.
In this case, they were transferring 8 of the older AGM-86B’s to be decommissioned.
No the warheads are not loaded at the last minute.
Im not gonna get into just how missile’s are stored, you don’t have any need for that knowledge.
Former USAF missile systems analyst 31650
EDIT:
Warheads have arming systems, some parts are done on the ground before take off and other parts are done in flight.
In this case neither step was done.
While the flight crew might have been able to launch the missiles, there was zero chance of a nuclear detonation.
But more than likely, the flight crew wouldn’t even have the ability to launch these cruise missiles, since they were only being moved to be decommissioned.
Again, im not gonna get into the steps necessary to arm a nuclear warhead, you just don’t need to know.