Posted on 07/12/2012 7:40:00 PM PDT by Navy Patriot
The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) notoriously opaque nuclear arsenal could be much bigger than the estimates prevalent in the United States—up to 1,800 warheads as opposed to the 300 or 400 currently thought—according to a report authored by a retired Russian colonel general.
In addition, the report says that the PRC has rail-mounted intercontinental ballistic missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, and nuclear warheads on a series of ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) and cruise missiles—statements that contradict dominant understandings of China’s nuclear posture.
Viktor Yesin, the former chief of the main staff of the Strategic Rocket Forces and currently professor at the Academy of Military Sciences, published his view in the military publication Military-Industrial Courier in early May.
He writes that Chinese factories that supply fissile material could have as of 2011 produced 40 tons of weapons-grade uranium and about 10 tons of weapons-grade plutonium, enough for a total of 3,600 nuclear warheads.
(Excerpt) Read more at theepochtimes.com ...
Within five years Russia and China together will have the ability to deliver all those weapons to target, Russia in a matter of months.
I suppose we could hope that China won't blow up what they already own.
“You think we sit around play poritically collect games?”
“We rearey busy”
“You find out”
Your Cantonese is excellent, but your Mandarin needs some work.
You find out! You find out!
You find out! You find out!
Merely reporting how many warheads you have can be as effective as having the warheads.
You are as strong as your enemy perceives you to be.
Our enemies perceive that we are reducing our count.
They require constant attention, and are not getting enough of it.
And that we bow to foreign kings, and give ipods to queens. Yes.
We stopped training college kids and grads in fast-neutron physics and basic nuke stuff so long ago! And we have no domestic source of tritium. I’m not sure we can manufacture plutonium any more. All deliberate steps in unilateral disarmament.
While the Chinese will certainly lie for effect, there are a number of factions and some legitimately don't know they are lying, while others won't tell.
Still, it is a good bet that the Chinese will not in any way suspend the manufacture of weapons, and modernization will result in many more, smaller, higher yield ratio warheads, rather than a stabilization.
If you want peace, prepare for war.
China is likely two full decades ahead of any country in the world in developing weaponized nano technology. This will have far more dire consequences. There are a great many open source articles available.
It would be kinda like an Islamic terrorist having an Israeli cell phone.
True, but sometimes it backfires. I’d suggest you ask Saddam about that one but....
It's an interesting gizmo.
Why the surprise? China has been making nukes ever since they set of their first shot at Lop Nor in the fall of 1964... They have had nearly five decades to build their arsenal.
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