[ExSoldier]

Although the earth is a great insulator against the effects of both heat and cold, it would depend on the soil content as to the amount of deterioration suffered by the device's casing over the years. I'd think it'd have to be nonferrous to avoid even rudimentary discovery, but acid content of the soil could erode the case, could even damage delicate circuitry....all sorts of variables here that have to be factored.

Say AQ has purchased coordinates for these prepositioned nukes and not the actual hardware in their hands. This is by far the safer course for the seller. They (AQ) dig them up with the assistance of some paid "technological helpers" and discover some updating has to be performed on the devices, before detonation will be guaranteed. Maybe they dug a few up and found differing levels of maintenance needed to bring them all online for simultaneous detonation. Then it'd be just like the problems they had prior to 911 where not all the flight training was completed and the attack was postponed at least twice by the operational commander (Atta--may he burn in the eternal fires of damnation).

[HipShot]

First, welcome home.

Those prepositioned weapons were placed to be used at a later date. The positioning party would take that into account and prepare accordingly.

The only support parts that would need maintenance would be off the shelf retail.

The PM on the device would be simple, and easily accomplished, especially given the amount of support accessible to AQ.

I'm not sure that the delay is mechanical, but I can agree that you may well be right. I can also see strategic delays that would require coordination across multiple timezones and goblin systems/governments.

[Quix]

Thx.

I personally would not expect such technologies to be buried in the actual soil.

In basements several stories down . . .

or abandoned mines or wells . . . But I don't think such 'tools' would be buried in any kind of typical ways. They are both too valuable and too dangerous.