Originally Posted by
Flyhighfirst
That is for “dirty” bombs or other radiological material. Nuclear weapons fissile material in encased inside the weapon and there would be no signature to detect. Otherwise those poor guys attaching the bombs would have a very short career, after the radiation exposure.
There is absolutely a radiation signature that is detectable from a nuclear warhead using radiation detection equipment (RDE). To underscore this fact, all of the U.S.-Russia treaties that involve nuclear weapons include neutron RDE among the authorized equipment carried by inspection teams. As another example, when the U.S. flight tests nuclear missiles such as the Minuteman or Trident, the dummy reentry vehicles are verified to have no detectable radiation signature to ensure (among other steps) that no real nuclear weapon is contained in the missile to be flight tested.
However, in the above scenarios the distances involved between the RDE detector and the potential radiation source are on the order of feet. In the Swedish incident, the distances likely would have been too great (and too brief) for any significant detection above background radiation levels.
Regarding the comment about radiation exposure from nuclear weapons, all of the workers involved in this type of work (at least in the U.S.) are trained radiation workers that carry personal dosimetry, allowing their exposure to be managed using the standard time, distance, and shielding principles.
I agree with the comments that Russia intended this to be a provocative incident but carrying an actual nuclear warhead was not necessary to carry out the provocation.