Bent Spear: We know better
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Bent Spear: We know better
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Pictured: Nuclear bomb at air base appears to have been twisted by impact
Pictured: Nuclear bomb at air base appears to have been twisted by impact
'Bent spear' incident thought to be first of its kind with a nuclear weapon in Europe since 1960s
ByJames Crisp, EUROPE EDITOR3 April 2023 • 5:18pm
A photo shows four people inspecting what appears to be a damaged B61 nuclear bomb CREDIT: fas.orgA US nuclear bomb was bent in what appears to be the first case of an accident involving nuclear weapons in Europe since the Cold War.
A photograph of a B61 bomb with a very noticeable curve in its middle being inspected by US soldiers at a Dutch air base was discovered by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) .
The rear of the bomb appeared to have been twisted by an impact, with a tail fin missing and pink sticky tape has been plastered over a hole in the weapon.
“It could potentially have been hit by a vehicle or bent out of shape by the weapons elevator of the underground storage vault.”
The FAS found the photo in a Los Alamos National Laboratory student briefing from 2022.
The briefing doesn’t say where the photo was taken but the FAS report has matched it to pictures taken inside a shelter at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands.
The picture shows the weapon being inspected by US soldiers, including two from a bomb disposal unit.
The Volkel air base is one of six places across five European countries where the US stores nuclear weapons.
Hans Kristensen, the report author and director of the FAS nuclear information project, said there had been no official confirmation that the photo was taken at Volkel, that the bent bomb was real and not a training device or that the damage was the result of an accident.
“If the image is indeed from a nuclear weapons event, it would constitute the first documented case of a recent nuclear weapons accident at an air base in Europe,” he said.
The last time US nuclear weapons were involved in an accident in Europe that was made public was in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a tanker aircraft during midair refuelling over Spain.
Two of the weapons were recovered relatively intact, but the non-nuclear explosives in the other two detonated on impact, spreading radioactive contamination over a wide area near the fishing village of Palomares, in south-eastern Spain.
A US air force spokesman said it had the highest standards for “personnel and equipment” but could not “confirm nor deny the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at any general or specific location”.
The B61 is the only tactical nuclear weapon left in the US arsenal. 100 are stored in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Turkey.
ByJames Crisp, EUROPE EDITOR3 April 2023 • 5:18pm
A photo shows four people inspecting what appears to be a damaged B61 nuclear bomb CREDIT: fas.orgA US nuclear bomb was bent in what appears to be the first case of an accident involving nuclear weapons in Europe since the Cold War.
A photograph of a B61 bomb with a very noticeable curve in its middle being inspected by US soldiers at a Dutch air base was discovered by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) .
The rear of the bomb appeared to have been twisted by an impact, with a tail fin missing and pink sticky tape has been plastered over a hole in the weapon.
'Significant force'
“What caused the damage to the B61 shape is unknown, but it appears to have been a significant force,” the report on the FAS website said.“It could potentially have been hit by a vehicle or bent out of shape by the weapons elevator of the underground storage vault.”
The FAS found the photo in a Los Alamos National Laboratory student briefing from 2022.
The briefing doesn’t say where the photo was taken but the FAS report has matched it to pictures taken inside a shelter at Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands.
The picture shows the weapon being inspected by US soldiers, including two from a bomb disposal unit.
The Volkel air base is one of six places across five European countries where the US stores nuclear weapons.
Hans Kristensen, the report author and director of the FAS nuclear information project, said there had been no official confirmation that the photo was taken at Volkel, that the bent bomb was real and not a training device or that the damage was the result of an accident.
“If the image is indeed from a nuclear weapons event, it would constitute the first documented case of a recent nuclear weapons accident at an air base in Europe,” he said.
'Bent spear' incidents usually kept a secret
If a nuclear weapon is damaged it is known as a “bent spear” incident and kept secret in most cases.The last time US nuclear weapons were involved in an accident in Europe that was made public was in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs collided with a tanker aircraft during midair refuelling over Spain.
Two of the weapons were recovered relatively intact, but the non-nuclear explosives in the other two detonated on impact, spreading radioactive contamination over a wide area near the fishing village of Palomares, in south-eastern Spain.
A US air force spokesman said it had the highest standards for “personnel and equipment” but could not “confirm nor deny the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at any general or specific location”.
The B61 is the only tactical nuclear weapon left in the US arsenal. 100 are stored in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Turkey.
The bigger picture:
https://fas.org/blogs/security/2023/...apon-accident/
https://fas.org/blogs/security/2023/...apon-accident/
Bent spear' incident thought to be first of its kind with a nuclear weapon in Europe since 1960s
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There were a few rather rapid postings after that one Wiggy, I was at Bruggen at the time and remember it happening, even though everything to do with them was secret, what had happened went around the all the Squadrons like wildfire. As for the rest of rest of the station it would have just been a normal day.
A few swift well aimed kicks should straighten that US weapon out.
A few swift well aimed kicks should straighten that US weapon out.
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Some definitions
Bent Spear refers to incidents involving nuclear weapons, warheads, components or vehicles transporting nuclear material that are of significant interest but are not categorized as Pinnacle – Nucflash or Pinnacle – Broken Arrow. Bent Spear incidents include violations or breaches of handling and security regulations.
An example of a Bent Spear incident occurred on the August 2007 flight of a B-52 bomber from Minot AFB to Barksdale AFB which mistakenly carried six cruise missiles with live nuclear warheads.[4]
An example of a Bent Spear incident occurred on the August 2007 flight of a B-52 bomber from Minot AFB to Barksdale AFB which mistakenly carried six cruise missiles with live nuclear warheads.[4]
Broken ArrowEdit
Broken Arrow refers to an accidental event that involves nuclear weapons, warheads or components that does not create a risk of nuclear war. These include:- Accidental or unexplained nuclear explosion
- Non-nuclear detonation or burning of a nuclear weapon
- Radioactive contamination
- Loss in transit of nuclear asset with or without its carrying vehicle
- Jettisoning of a nuclear weapon or nuclear component
- Public hazard, actual or implied
Broken Arrow incidentsEdit
Main article: List of military nuclear accidentsThe US Department of Defense has officially recognized at least 32 "Broken Arrow" incidents from 1950 to 1980.[5] Examples of these events include:- 1950 British Columbia B-36 crash
- 1956 B-47 disappearance
- 1958 Mars Bluff B-47 nuclear weapon loss incident
- 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision
- 1961 Yuba City B-52 crash
- 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash
- 1964 Savage Mountain B-52 crash
- 1964 Bunker Hill AFB runway accident
- 1965 Philippine Sea A-4 incident
- 1966 Palomares B-52 crash[6]
- 1968 Thule Air Base B-52 crash
- 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion, Arkansas
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It’s apparently not a live one, but inert.
They would say that wouldn't they 
Judging by their protective clothing it looks mega dangerous. Not.
Last edited by jolihokistix; 4th Apr 2023 at 01:25.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
The US air force in Europe and LANL would not comment on the photograph, but on Monday…. the Pentagon said it was a dummy weapon being used as part of a training drill.
“At every military facility, we have a response team that has to train together, and that is what this was, and the photo was put in a recruitment manual,” Oscar Seára, a Pentagon spokesperson, said.
“At every military facility, we have a response team that has to train together, and that is what this was, and the photo was put in a recruitment manual,” Oscar Seára, a Pentagon spokesperson, said.
Er, if you can do that to a dummy… then you probably need some retraining.
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They certainly look relaxed enough for it not to be a real situation.
We used live nuclear weapons many times during recertification training in RAF Germany, you never knew what you had, live or training weapon until you had taken the covers off.