ANALYSIS: What Would Actually Happen If North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Launched A Nuclear Attack

Doug Ross @ Journal ^ | April 18, 2017 | Ryan Pickrell

[Fitzy_888]

Kim doesn’t need to launch anything, scourched ground strategy, he has two fission nuclear plants, make those go critical in the worst way possible.

I’m sure Kim has a little bunker somewhere.

For our part we send in a thousand paratrooper or Ranger’s with a daily air lift of chemical suits and respirators. Eight fold to accomplish anything.

In two three years maybe you can take the respirator off.

[353FMG]

And in our legal system, Clinton cannot be held responsible.

[Bon mots]

Let’s put the shoe on the other foot for a moment...

Suppose the US financed, sponsored and supported a psychopathic monarchy in, let’s say, Taiwan... that built nuclear bombs, missiles and daily threatened to nuke Beijing?

What if we did that in Seoul and Tokyo too?

People are stupid.

Thank God for President Trump.

[djf]

I kinda think it would be a sub-launched short range missile on the west coast aimed towards Seattle or LA.

It would very probably miss or not explode.

Then Kim would see the light...
Right over his haid!

[kiltie65]

I worry about the missing NK subs which are not accounted for. Hope they are not on our west coast. Tit for tat annihilation? And Russia is getting pretty ballsy with their warships and subs visiting our east coast.

[Captainpaintball]

He would try an EMP. He’d send all his capable subs at once on the west coast or the east coast, and just launch. Some missiles would have nukes, others wouldn’t. It would be tough to stop all of them. If half the country goes dark they win. It would draw blood; China and or Russia would have been behind it anyway.

[o-n-money]

South Korea would become an island.

[G Larry]

That’s pretty cool!

I couldn’t find that link in my 1971 463X0 Tech Training at Lowry, AFB, CO.

Pretty sure they’ve even changed that Nuclear Weapons skill code.

[bobby.223]

Cue that turtle thingy I remember from 1959!

[lefty-lie-spy]

There are some excellent article on his web site too. The ones about the Demon Core and the Blue Glow were particularly interesting. They are always well written and scientifically sound without pop culture level filler for dunderheads like we so often see in supposed scientific books meant for mass consumption.

[cynwoody]

And here is a great little tool for us Nuke geeks - enjoy:
https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/

Neat little tool! Reminded me of the physics nerd I knew in college (sixties), who had a circular slide rule bomb damage calculator put out by Rand Corporation (if memory serves).

Oh, wait! Here's a pic:

So, I was wondering what would be the effect of dropping Tsar Bomba (57 mt, the largest ever) on Pyongyang.

POW!

Very impressive. But, more realistically, the Peacekeeper MIRV carries ten much more modest 300 kt warheads. Here is the nukemap for one bomb at that much lighter setting.

But the bonus is that the missile carries up to ten bombs, independently targetable in the metro area!

Here is how one test looked down range in the South Pacific, using eight dummy warheads (time-lapse photo):

[lefty-lie-spy]

That’s a nice detonation over Pyongyang. I love the Rand calculator. I’m pretty sure that those same numbers (or revised based on those numbers) are used in NukeMap too. I think there is a write-up on the web site about how NukeMap was put together. The author is always happy to get feedback too.

[cynwoody]

I couldn’t find that link in my 1971 463X0 Tech Training at Lowry, AFB, CO.

That's not surprising, given the internet's precurser ARPANET was only invented in 1969, and the internet wouldn't really lift off until about 1994.

However, googling that 463X0 code you mention leads to a minor Cold War story:

https://usafnukes.com/break-room/bios-a-wsa-stories/201-gary-bridget-my-day-as-a-firefighter-lowry-afb

"Certain characteristics of the W-87 warhead were classified," it says. ...

[Titan Magroyne]

bmfl

[Cvengr]

IMHO, N Korea is a strategic sucker punch.

Too easily thrown by other power players to manifest the West’s real operational counter to thermonuclear warfare.

After the short war, the bad guys would be following branch and sequel plans to take advantage of the situation after we tipped our hand.

[Psalm 73]

Was on Okinawa last time the the NORKS got goofy, in 2008.
Came to Kadena one morning and there was a Patriot missile battery just about all set up on base.
Must have flown it in that night and deployed in the early morning hours.
As much as we complain, there is no one in the world does logistics like the US military.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

IF any attack came it would be a co-ordinated attack—the Axis of Evil—Iran would hit US Fleet, as her soldiers take Baghdad, Syria would attack our ships at sea as well as Israel, terrorists would hit Israel with batchs of rockets as European capitals are hit and Turkey invades Kurds—Korean was would start with rocket and sub attack of shipping, blow and burn South Korean Capital and Pusan, Threaten Japan, nuke Okinawa. As a big blast—a nuke blows up in San Diego and San Pedro—shippped in by Container ship. IF the war comes it will be a staggering hammer attack that will kill missions in the first 72 hours. Then, we will be glad we have Trump in office—even if the MSM say it was caused by Trumps Tweets.

[DoodleDawg]

"If North Korea restrains itself..."

What are the chances of that happening?

[G Larry]

Cool!
Thanks, I was all set to create an account....until I saw the price tag.

Yes, I didn’t think my 1971 link reference required a sarc tag....