Kim Jong-il has a small one.
I saw this at my Yahoo site. Tom Toles is one of the few editorial cartoonists who is actually funny.
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Wee little shenanigans
This entry was written by Andy Jackson, posted on October 11, 2006 at 5:27 pm, filed under North Korea. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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14 Comments
Now that’s hilarious!
does anyone else out there but me suspect that it is possible for the NORKs to have loaded up a bunch of old munitions into cave and set it all off causing the 3.58 earthquake they called a ‘nuke test.’ ? is that even possible?
It is possible and has been talked about.
Tom Toles is a national treasure — hits it right-on EVERY time…
As a Buffalonian, I say it was a sad day indeed when Mr. Toles left The Buffalo News for the WaPo.
I’m surprised that everyone has missed the significance of North Korea testing a small nuclear device. Everyone seems to think the test was a failure or that they did so to conserve their limited plutonium reserves. However, it also implies that North Korea is developing sub-kiloton tactical devices, such as the ones that can be loaded on artillery shells, or short range rockets like the Honest John and the Davy Crockett. This would make sense as North Korea is at a technological disadvantage against the South and would want to create an electromagnetic pulse to take out the South’s communications. But, what worries me more is that this also implies that the North may be developing so-called suitcase bombs, which can be smuggled into the South or sold to terrorists.
The technical acumen to build a suitcase nuke is so far beyond those wingnuts up North, it would truly be a cold day in hell that test was one.
From what I understand, and I may be wrong, the ability to build a suitcase nuke, other than a “dirty” bomb, is beyond anyone’s capability, due to the weight of the lead shielding needed and stabilty issues. The Soviets’ smallest device fit into two footlockers and was highly unstable.
The KGB now claims that they knew North Korea was receiving help from Pakistan and China. They also claim to have inside information that says it was a nuclear device, not something that you could deliver or warhead –not that it matters. A conventional war would probably result in the destruction of or many of South Korea’s nuclear power stations, sending nuclear fallout all over the peninsula and Japan.
“In the 1990s, as hundreds of thousands of North Koreans were dying of starvation while their regime withdrew further from the world, a chubby, jolly man made a series of flights on Pakistani military jets from Islamabad to Pyongyang.
The flights carried huge sums of money out of impoverished North Korea and delivered centrifuges, nuclear raw materials and instructions on making atomic bombs. The man who later confessed to enriching himself in the exchanges, and to selling nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya as well, was Abdul Qadeer Khan — a national hero in Pakistan, responsible for giving his own country a nuclear weapon.”
http://www.theglobeandmail.com.....tory/Front
“The Soviet-era intelligence agency had regularly updated Kremlin about the atomic technology transfer by Pakistan and China to North Korea, which has conducted its first nuclear test, a top Russian nuclear expert said on Tuesday.
“It is not a secret that Pakistan and China have provided nuclear weapons technology to North Korea. The KGB was aware of this and had regularly submitted its reports to the politburo,” Gen (Retd) Vladimir Dvorkin told state-run radio Mayak. ”
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/a.....mp;sid=WOR
What I find suprising is that no one is mentioning that both Pakistan and India claimed multiple sub kiloton tests in 1998. Though not with out their due skepticism too. (Doubts were expressed about the sub-kiloton tests, and seismic data drastically undercut claimed thermo-nuclear tests)
Now that I think about it, my father served in a Nuclear Artillery Battery during Vietnam. They used 155s. Which North Korea has plenty of (really 152s) as well as a handfull of 170mm. Those 170s reach to Seoul.
For the record the American 155s (W-48) yield was only 73 tons, while the Davy Crocket you mentioned was 10 tons. So North Korea has a ways to go to get them that small. It took us 7 years to until our first nuclear artillery round (280mm). …All of which used to be here on Penninsula in the good ol’ days. But have now been destroyed.
more links just for fun
The AIM-68 air to air, IR guided, nuclear missile
… how american… “Cet-sa…q.., Kedza…ca…. aw fuck it, BIG Q!”
Production and qualtity of all (known) US warheads included production and dismantle date - and -
Warhead designation and list of warheads developed by the US
What I find suprising is that no one seems to have mentioned that Indian and Pakistan easch tested multiple sub kilo-ton bombs in 1998, though not without controversy. Seismic data drastically undercut the claimed yield for thermo-nuclear devices and skepticism followed the sub-kilo ton (0.2-0.6kt) claims for the same reason they are following North Koreas. However….
What you said brought to mind the fact that my father, lucky guy he was, got to serve in a Nuclear Artillery Battery during Vietnam. They used 155s… which North Korea has plenty of (really 152mm), as well as a hand full of 170mm. Those can also reach Seoul.
The yield for the 155 m-48 round was 73ton, while the Davy Crocket you mentioned was about 10 tons. It looks like we have some time before they can miniturize to that point. It took the US at least 7 years to launch a n.warhead out of a cannon (280mm)., but that was 15 kt… and I think it would be easier for them to just build a bigger cannon than fit the nuclear device into ta smaller shell.
(I had links for all this stuff, but my comment didn’t post WTF?)
Remember this guy, captbbq?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Bull
yes I do in fact, I remember the movie too, it was produced by HBO and they made it look as if the Iraqis did it for no reason (out their nature being “evil iraqis”?)
Artillery is important, as there are really good ways of downing SCUDs today, as we all remember the intercept record in the Gulf War. Thankfully these have been upgraded to pac3, as it does no good to intercept a nuclear SCUD, and just have the warhead fall and detonate on the town below.
Intercepting Artillery? Not so easy. And counter battery fire, kind of Pyrric no? There is the Airborne Laser here and here. Though billed as a deterrrent to Theatre Ballistic Missiles, the smaller THEL Laser, originally planned to counter Katyusha rockets launched from Hizbolah, was a resounding test against mortars. Its worth seeing whether an ABL can at least dammage a nucear warhead internally. This probably won’t be feilded until 2011 though (Airborne test to be in 2008)