3 ms·
If so, I guess it'd be a valid way of ensuring the warhead still has power after a decade or two.
by ygra 8y ago
If so, I guess it'd be a valid way of ensuring the warhead still has power after a decade or two.
- kogepathic 8y agoCommand and Control (by Eric Schlosser) is a great book if you're interested in the history of US nuclear weapons. According to the author, most warheads in the US arsenal are (or were) equipped with single-use thermal batteries that are activated during the firing sequence. Thermal batteries were originally developed by German scientists, but the concept was taken further in the 1950s when the US armed forces were looking for a more reliable and less maintenance intensive power source for their nuclear weapons once fired. [1] https://books.google.com/books?id=H0-CJckES44C&lpg=PT133&ots=gnciRBIpvi&dq=command%20and%20control%20thermal%20battery&pg=PT133#v=onepage&q=command%20and%20control%20thermal%20battery&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=H0-CJckES44C&lpg=PT133&ots...