Originally Posted by
M609
Was that not the case for many nuclear roled strike a/c during the cold war?
Many, maybe, but it was not part of the V-force planning philosophy. In 1972, in Cyprus, crews were distinctly worried when a new procedure was brought in that was planned on a one-way mission.
The Armée de l'Aire have an airborne nuclear deterrent on their Mirage 2000N fleet. Friends who have been on the fleet tell me that they regarded it as a suicide mission during the cold war.
This was well known of the Mirage IV force in the 60s. It was probably entirely realistic and certainly the only way that their force d'frappe could reach Moscow. I would suggest it was a necessary political card that they had to deal as they could not have reached Moscow and return and this would be know to the Russians. To make it clear that it was a on-way mission was essential if they were to have a credible counter-value deterrent.