Dannatt hints to an end of the Nuclear Deterrent
Join Date: May 2006
Location: 2 m South of Radstock VRP
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It’s difficult to put this sufficiently simply; but here goes.
If your idea of leasing, say, a car is buying it outright at catalogue price then accepting that you might not get the same car back after it’s been serviced (a service routine that you pay for); I’d change your leasing company. A car is a bad example really as it’s actually used and suffers varying amounts of wear and tear. A 2D5 sat in its launch tube doesn’t really deteriorate any differently in a British boat than it does in an American one.
If your idea of leasing, say, a car is buying it outright at catalogue price then accepting that you might not get the same car back after it’s been serviced (a service routine that you pay for); I’d change your leasing company. A car is a bad example really as it’s actually used and suffers varying amounts of wear and tear. A 2D5 sat in its launch tube doesn’t really deteriorate any differently in a British boat than it does in an American one.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Blue Steel - It may have had a good INS (but then again is high accuracy that important in a nuclear weapon?), but it was completely vulnerable to SAMs even during the 1960s. The V-bomber had to get within something like 150nm of the target. I'd hardly call that stand-off!
Secondly accuracy is actually very important to get the weapon effects on the DPI. Certainly an airburst Blue Steel would have a huge damage area but for impact against a hardened or semi-hardened target 400 yards would be towards the limit of acceptable accuracy.
Finally, as for the 150 miles; during the Blue Steel period there were still large tracts of undefended air space, especially at low level. Blue Steel's demise was due to the missiles' vulnerability to SAM and not, per se, the carriers.
One can terminate a lease agreement. An ownership agreement cannot be terminated. Rather a big difference.
And we have operational control over Trident with no second guessing by anyone else. That's pretty important as well.
And we have operational control over Trident with no second guessing by anyone else. That's pretty important as well.
Dannatt has hinted at many things over the last few years. It's normally to stimulate debate, or to progress an agenda. No prizes for guessing which this 'softening up' exercise is in aid of.
Cunning Artificer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
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If we don't own particular serials then it looks closer to a lease than to ownership, to me.