PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Why did the RAF give up nuclear weapons...
Old 7th Apr 2016, 10:22
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tornadoken
 
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RAF - alone - did not give up nukes.

From 23/5/63 "strategic" stores in Bomber Command joined all other nukes in UK hands to be under NATO/CENTO/SEATO targeting. BAOR then had nuclear-shell howitzers, SSMs, (from 10/70) MADM mountain movers; Coastal from 1/68 would have NDBs; to 15/8/63 Bomber Command SMF had Thor IRBM: all these were US-supplied; RAFG had US-, NEAF/FEAF had UK-built gravity Bombs, as did RN Strike carriers. (Bomber, then) Strike Command had Blue Steel ASM, UK warhead, to 21/12/70, and UK-built gravity Bombs.

NATO's N.Atlantic Council would tussle with "tactical" nukes: could they actually be used? 10/83 Montebello Decision removed MADMs and reduced howitzers. Through 1984/86 RAFG, RAF/UK, Luftwaffe and It.AF deployed IDS Tornado with "tactical" US B-61/UK WE177B/C; RN had WE177A in NDB and Bomb variants, and RAF Buccaneers for maritime strike. Nimrods lifted Mk.57 NDB from Macrihanish, St.Mawgan and Sigonella.

Berlin Wall comes down. 12/9/90-15/2/94 Nations make a series of Statements, Charters and Treaties, collectively "End of the Cold War": that is the precise A to OP's Q. BAOR's last nuclear howitzers and SSMs gone by 15/6/91; Nimrod NDBs by 11/91; RN WE177A(NDB), 21/3/92; RAF Buccaneer WE177A, 31/3/94; RAFG WE177C, 5/95; UK Tornado WE177B, 31/3/98.

It has been stated that Vanguard SSBNs, operational 15/12/94, carry warheads capable of sub-strategic (?100kt) yield and from 2011 of "bunker-buster" precision.
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