Just curious - about Bombs.

[xyzzyplugh]

How many, approximately, nuclear weapons of mass destruction do the UsA have? And how many do UK have? How many France etc. And is Iraq in the top twenty? No sft42 I don't mean that kind of a hit. ;-]

[darth vader]

Reagan and Gorbachev struck a deal to limit their arsenal to 100 nuclear weapons but judging USA's recent record i wouldn't rely on them sticking to deals. Dunno about France, but the UK have a few (the last i heard is that we have 4 nuclear submarines so it's a case of how many could we pack on board?). In theory Iraq have none so don't figure in the top 20

[xyzzyplugh]

So if 100 nuclear bombs each is enough to destroy the whole planet, why bother with a limit? Cuh.

[rekstout]

Sorry darth but that figure is way off - the USA has approximately 10,000 nuclear devices of one sort or another at it's disposal. The arms limitations touched upon things like mobile ICBMs and tactical nukes (low yield battlefied weapons and the most likeley to be used in any nuclear scenario). The average Ohio class ballistic missle sub carries 24 Trident II missiles with up to eight warheads each - thats nearly 200 on a single sub! The current fleet is 18 (give or take) so there's 3600 in a single class of subs alone!

[Kevin9]

100 atomic weapons couldn't destroy the planet and everything in it. This is a common myth which most people believe though.

[Kevin9]

United States has an arsenal of 12,000 warheads each with a range of up to 8,100 miles. Nuclear weapons are located in 14 states. The US has 150 B61 bombs at ten air bases in seven countries in Europe at Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The US is the only country with nuclear weapons deployed outside its borders... Great Britain has an arsenal of 380 with a range of 7,500 miles. The British stockpile was recently turned into a single weapon type, the Trident II missile on Vanguard-class submarines. In 1998, the last WE-177 gravity bombs were retired, and the Tornado bombers that once carried them will have only conventional missions. Nuclear submarines capable of carrying atomic warheads are located at Faslane in Scotland.

[Kevin9]

France has an arsenal of 450 warheads with a range of 3,300 miles... Pakistan has 18 warheads, with a range of 930 miles... India has 17 warheads with a range of 1,550 miles... China has 400 warheads, range 6,800 miles... Russia has an arsenal of 22,500 warheads, range 6,800 miles... Isreal is believed to have 100 warheads, North Korea 2, Iran's are in development apparently... Iraq and Libyia are known to want to build their own... South Africa is the only nation to have successfully developed nuclear weapons, and then voluntarily destroyed them all... Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan were forced to destroy theirs... Brazil and Argentina stopped their programs in the 90's as part of the treaty for a nuclear-weapons-free zone in Latin America.

[brooklyn77]

Just in case anyone moans the rubbish statement of "well the USA has weapons of mass destruction why dont the UN go in to the USA?" BECAUSE: The USA dont invade every country for no-reason and they are not a tryrant country. [Answer edited to remove personal insults - AB Editor]