4 ms·

> only means you haven’t finished or intend to use something else for the initial stage So in other words it’s not weapons grade?

Retric 1y ago
No, 60% is a weapons grade enrichment level, but does not qualify in specific weapons grade categories. Reduced fat milk is often specifically referring to 2% milk, but 1% milk is also reduced fat milk.
- sorcerer-mar 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - Retric 1y ago
    Everything I just said was factually accurate. There’s a lot of misunderstanding around this stuff. Technically all you need for a bomb is the ability to go prompt critical on demand which you can do at surprisingly low enrichment levels. What’s a useful weapons grade enrichment to you has a lot to do with your delivery systems not some universal constant. If you’re looking to fit something in a WWII bomber or early generation ICBM that imposes specific limitations.
    - sorcerer-mar 1y ago
      Being able to produce weapons grade uranium != producing weapons grade uranium. It's not that complicated. And yes, in an alternative universe where delivery systems also just appear out of nowhere, you could sprinkle a million tons of 1% uranium over a city.
      - Retric 1y ago
        It’s not about delivery systems just appearing, the logistics of tossing around nuclear weapons in the Middle East using modern technology allows for a vastly larger bombs without significant issues. Little boy was a logistical issue at the time but only 4,400 kg. You can buy a used A380 for a few 10’s of millions. Convert that to a drone is fairly cheap, and you end up with a vastly cheaper system than the cost of producing a nuclear bomb. Obviously a subsonic aircraft isn’t ideal, but historic ICBM’s ended up being designed for multiple bombs that’s a lot of leeway if you use the same system to deliver a single bomb. What the US considered weapons grade in the 40’s through the Cold War is based on assumptions that simply don’t apply here.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]

Retric 1y ago

No, 60% is a weapons grade enrichment level, but does not qualify in specific weapons grade categories. Reduced fat milk is often specifically referring to 2% milk, but 1% milk is also reduced fat milk.

sorcerer-mar 1y ago
[flagged]
- Retric 1y ago
  Everything I just said was factually accurate. There’s a lot of misunderstanding around this stuff. Technically all you need for a bomb is the ability to go prompt critical on demand which you can do at surprisingly low enrichment levels. What’s a useful weapons grade enrichment to you has a lot to do with your delivery systems not some universal constant. If you’re looking to fit something in a WWII bomber or early generation ICBM that imposes specific limitations.
  - sorcerer-mar 1y ago
    Being able to produce weapons grade uranium != producing weapons grade uranium. It's not that complicated. And yes, in an alternative universe where delivery systems also just appear out of nowhere, you could sprinkle a million tons of 1% uranium over a city.
    - Retric 1y ago
      It’s not about delivery systems just appearing, the logistics of tossing around nuclear weapons in the Middle East using modern technology allows for a vastly larger bombs without significant issues. Little boy was a logistical issue at the time but only 4,400 kg. You can buy a used A380 for a few 10’s of millions. Convert that to a drone is fairly cheap, and you end up with a vastly cheaper system than the cost of producing a nuclear bomb. Obviously a subsonic aircraft isn’t ideal, but historic ICBM’s ended up being designed for multiple bombs that’s a lot of leeway if you use the same system to deliver a single bomb. What the US considered weapons grade in the 40’s through the Cold War is based on assumptions that simply don’t apply here.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]