UK's Nuclear Arsenal 1953 - 1970
Richard I really cannot make up my mind up about you, whether you are a wind up merchant or what! I am not too sure where you get your mis-information from, but I think that you ought to revise your sources!
UK's Nuclear Warhead Arsenal 1953 to 1970
Weapon/warhead.....Qty..Operational dates
Blue Danube................20........ '53 to '62
Red Beard...................80 [RAF] '61 to '71
Red Beard...................30 [RN] '61 to '71
*Violet Club..................5.........'58 to '59
Yellow Sun Mk1............10.........'58 to '61
**Yellow Sun Mk2........150........'61 to '72
Blue Steel....................50.........'62 to '70
***Thor IRBM...............60........'58 to '63
*VC. These 5 warheads were dismantled to provide materials for the YS Mk1's.
**YS Mk2. This was a British re-engineered version of an American design.
***Thor. This was NOT an ICBM, it was an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, and an all American weapon. Deployed as a stop gap device untill the completion of the Blue Streak missile. It was armed with a W49 warhead, carried in a Mk2 re-entry vehicle. The warhead had a yield of approx: 1.72 to 2 Mt. Though in use by the RAF and deployed to specialy prepared RAF Stations, the two man principal was maintained at all times by a dual nationality two key launch control sysytem. NO LAUNCH could be executed solely on US or RAF commands, it had to be a joint decision and execution, as both launch keys had to be operated simaltaneously!