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A.K.A. "Tell me you have the bomb without telling me you have the bomb." Technically, they probably didn't have to test it to know it worked. But for a nuclear
by speed_spread 3y ago
A.K.A. "Tell me you have the bomb without telling me you have the bomb."
Technically, they probably didn't have to test it to know it worked. But for a nuclear weapon to be an effective deterrent you have to demonstrate it somehow. But you still need plausible deniability to abide by the world standards of peace-loving democracies /s
- mrweasel 3y agoThey also had a test site in the Kalahari desert. The plan was to detonate a nuclear weapon within the territory of South Africa in case they where threatened by communist Angola, to show that they had and was serious about using nuclear weapons. The idea was that this would force Western powers to intervene on the side of South Africa, to avoid nuclear weapons being used against Angola. There is a great book detailing the nuclear program in South Africa: https://www.amazon.com/South-Africas-Weapons-Mass-Destruction/dp/025321730X/ https://www.amazon.com/South-Africas-Weapons-Mass-Destructio...