[Fury]

The half-life of the triggers for such atomic weapons is typically 60 days, after that, the weapon requires new radioactive material (as well as specialized electronincs maintenance).

This is correct, as the physics package and associated electronics have a "limited shelf life".

[rwfromkansas]

Could they simply rewire it with a new trigger?

[toddst]

"The half-life of the triggers for such atomic weapons is typically 60 days, after that, the weapon requires new radioactive material (as well as specialized electronincs maintenance)."

This is correct, as the physics package and associated electronics have a "limited shelf life".

So why couldn't the Russian source have sold refitted bombs that are within the 60 day period? Just wondering.

[Rocky]

The half-life of the triggers for such atomic weapons is typically 60 days, after that, the weapon requires new radioactive material (as well as specialized electronincs maintenance).

Easy to fix this. Just join the Trigger of the Month Club.

[Travis McGee]

Fission, not fusion!

[Vinnie_Vidi_Vici]

"Little Boy" did not have a fast neutron trigger and it seemed to work OK.

[babygene]

" This is correct, as the physics package and associated electronics have a "limited shelf life"."

That's what I've heard as well, except 8 years and not 60 days.

[Stefan Stackhouse]

The half-life of the triggers for such atomic weapons is typically 60 days, after that, the weapon requires new radioactive material (as well as specialized electronincs maintenance). This is correct, as the physics package and associated electronics have a "limited shelf life".

You are referring to the tritium neutron generator, which becomes essential in very small plutonium/implosion types of bombs, which is what we might be talking about here. I'm not sure about 60 days -- I've seen others post times as long as a few years. There is nevertheless a very real "limited shelf life" issue. My hypothesis is that this might actually be part of the reason why these might end up available on the black market -- the sellers knew that they would be duds without a recharge of fresh tritium.

The nightmare scenario is if: 1) AQ gets the suitcase nukes minus tritium from source A, because source A is convinced that without fresh tritium they are just selling duds to suckers; and 2) AQ gets fresh tritium from souce B, because source B is convinced that without the nukes they are just selling expensive but useless tritium to suckers. It is this scenario that really worries me. It should be worrying plenty of people in high positions in our government, too.

[babygene]

The trigger is tritium which has a half life of 12.3 years, and a usefull life in this application of 8 years.

[Sender]

limited shelf life

Didn't both the US and the Soviets pre-position ADM's that could sit buried for years? With a very simple fission device, it would seem that all you'd need is a new battery, tops. Or maybe they kept some important part out of the "suitcase", to be supplied by the activating troops when the need arose?