Posted on 03/30/2022 11:42:37 AM PDT by knighthawk
Two Russian planes that violated Swedish airspace earlier this month were equipped with nuclear weapons, it has emerged.
The flyover near the island of Gotland on March 2 was a deliberate act designed to intimidate Sweden, according to Swedish news channel TV4 Nyheterna.
A total of four planes had taken off from the Russian air base of Kaliningrad.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Time for Sweden and Finland to join NATO
“I agree, why put nukes on a fighter? “
Better chance of getting to the target.
That said, how would anyone know what was loaded? The ordnance crew that loaded, and the brass that gave the order.
It’s looking like Vlad is politically and militarily, a spent force.
Since the Chinese really hate to ‘lose face’, and have so publicly and wholeheartedly supported him, where does that leave things??
Will the Chines actually abandon him?
Efforts have been underway since at least 1959 to detect nuclear weapons remotely, even while shielded, both by detecting high-energy particles directly emitted and by detecting changes to air molecules in the vicinity of the nuclear material (again, even while shielded). Breakthroughs occurred when advanced remote satellite sensors were launched in 1989 or shortly thereafter, and again more recently when it became possible to integrate the sensor data from numerous orbiting satellites along with ground-based and aircraft sensors. Among the classified technologies employed is the ability to remotely interrogate the composition of the nuclear material to identify the isotopes present and identify the origin.
Quite a few fighters are certified to carry nukes. The F-15 for example.
Whether these Russian fighters were carrying nukes or not, I have no clue.
Color me skeptical. Just how has this emerged or been revealed? I don't doubt that Putin would be crazy enough to authorize such a mission , but....
Yeah, pardon me if I doubt the Russians would be so silly to send nuclear armed aircraft into someone else’s airspace. That’s a great way to lose the nuclear armed aircraft, their nuclear weapons, and the pilots.
Call me skeptical, but they might have intercepted them and took photos which analysis revealed were loaded with nukes. But why announce it?
I’ve worked on a few planes (F-4D) loaded with nuclear weapons. The weapons weren’t all that big and looked like it could have been a fat missile. They did have that radiation symbol - circular with yellow and black wedges.
Even though I worked aircraft instrumentation, we weren’t allowed to sit in the cockpit. They sent out one of the pilots and we’d have to tell him which switches we want to flip.
Also, I think I’m right, it took two people to arm the device. In an F-4D, that meant the pilot and the weapons system officer had to do the arming within a certain amount of time.
Yes, Gotland is a big island smack dab in the central Baltic that is Swedish territory, formerly used as a base for piracy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victual_Brothers
“I doubt the Russians would be so silly to send nuclear armed aircraft into someone else’s airspace”
If the story is true, and I don’t know about that, then the “airspace” would be the air above an island in the middle of the Baltic, so not exactly like sending your plane deep behind enemy lines.
“I agree, why put nukes on a fighter? Bomber maybe.”
Many US fighters are ‘nuclear capable’. In fact NATO allies are supposed to have nuclear-capable aircraft to deliver US nukes in event that this becomes necessary. One of the diplomatic problems with Germany is the fighter they were considering purchasing was NOT nuclear capable. However, since the Ukraine invasion Germany has announced it’s intention to purchase a few dozen F-35’s so ‘problem solved’.
Bombers generally carry their ordnance internally. If a Russian bomber were to be carrying nukes there would be no way to visually verify it unlike a fighter-bomber which would carry its weapons on external pylons where they can be seen by a Swedish interceptor.
I don't know about the Swedes, but the Finns have long valued their independence, and seem to have a well-established ability to maintain something of a balanced and non-confrontational relationship with Russia (& former USSR, at least since the Continuation War). I don't know if they would see NATO membership as beneficial, or as a potential albatross around their neck...
;>)
It’s hard to take off in a jet from Kaliningrad and not be over someone’s airspace in about two minutes.
“detect nuclear weapons remotely”
Relatively easy for uranium based weapons.
Very difficult for plutonium based weapons.
The USA used to out nukes in nearly every fighter plane we had be it Air Force , Navy or Marines. The A4 was designed specifically to carry a single tactical nuke to its target off a carrier. This role.today is filled by the FA18 which has the links for B61s. The F15 and F16 based in NATO counties all carried and still are wired to carry the B61 nuke. The F35 is also wired to carry B61s in all three forms the A,B and Navy C model. The only Air Force planes that are attack capable that lack the PAL links supported pylons are the A10, AC130, and by treaty the B1B. The Russians like the USA have made every aircraft with attack capability nuclear capable.
There was four aircraft that entered Sweden. Two SU27s and two SU24s the SU27 is a multirole figthey comparable in size speed and distance to a F15 it absolutely can carry the Russian equivalent to the B61 plus it also can carry KH55 misales these are the equals to the tomahawk with a 200+KT warhead they are city busters. The SU24 is not a fighter jet at all it is a medium range strategic bomber that was a near carbon copy of the F111 this plane is a first rate nuclear penetration bomber being supersonic capable at sea level. This aircraft can carry the KH15 just like the American F111 carried the SRAM missile the russian version is the KH15. It also is a city killer with a mach 5 top speed and tiny radar cross section with TRF modes the Russians never retired their first line tactical.weapons like the USA foolishly did. The Russians have always had a battle plan to fight and win a nuclear war they are not last resort weapons to them they are bigger boom weapons when and if they need to go big or.go home they have always ALWAYS believed in a first use policy. This is why they have subways with blast doors in most major.cities with supplies to be fallout shelters. Moscow and St Petersburg both have enough space in their subway shelters for every single citizen of those cities. They fully plan to ride out a nuclear exchange and with a land mass that spans 12 time.zones they know that the fall out can’t and won’t make all their farm lands unsuitable for use. If they are flying nukes around they plan to use them if they need them.
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According to the article they took pictures! So, that settles it...
Sovereign airspace can be defended with deadly force. If the Swedes are calling out Ivan for flying nukes towards Sweden then then next time the Swedes intercept the Russians in Swedish airspace it’ll be a fight.
And the Swedes hate the Russians.
The ruskies had a bad experience with the Finns during WW2.
They would have to cross Finland to get to Sweden.
Dumb move.
They can fly from Kaliningrad or in int’l airspace across the Baltic.
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