PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - US Nuclear Arsenal Down to 300 Weapons?
View Single Post
Old 17th Feb 2012, 08:17
  #11 (permalink)  
GreenKnight121
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: by the Great Salt Lake, USA
Posts: 1,542
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Blacksheep
Hmm. . What exactly is the definition of a deployed "strategic" nuclear weapon? As opposed to a deployed "tactical" one?
Deployed strategic nuclear weapon: ICBM with warheads installed sitting in a launch silo, SLBM in a submarine with electrical power supplied (either externally or internally), long-range bomber with nuclear warheads in its bomb bay (either on the ground or in the air).

Deployed tactical nuclear weapon: nuclear bomb in the magazine of an aircraft carrier at sea or in port, nuclear artillery shell at a forward base or with a deployed unit, etc.


Non-deployed nuclear weapons are those sitting in bunkers in the home country, or missile warheads not installed on their missiles, etc.
GreenKnight121 is offline