Are not the materials transported in sealed containers preventing air oxidation? I understand that the fissionable material does have a limited shelf-life, but we have had nukes in underground silos here in the midwest for decades. If the half-life is so short, then how often must we replace the components in our own nuclear arsenal?
"Are not the materials transported in sealed containers preventing air oxidation? I understand that the fissionable material does have a limited shelf-life, but we have had nukes in underground silos here in the midwest for decades. If the half-life is so short, then how often must we replace the components in our own nuclear arsenal?"
We're not talking about iron, which rusts even inside of shipping containers; uranium and plutonium oxidize faster than any other substance.
We have nuclear missiles in underground silos and in Boomer silos at sea; maintenance for trigger components ranges from 6 weeks to some 3 months; pits and cores, some time longer; electronics and wiring some time shorter than for the pits and cores; conventional explosives for these devices require some similar time-frame maintenance.
It's a constant repair/replacement cycle.