(Peter Stickney) wrote in
:

In article ,
Jim Yanik writes:
"Kevin Brooks" wrote in
news:rdednadjKtlDJcLdRVn- :

My point was that the 155mm bomb -casing- is ~6 inches diameter,but
the physics package inside is going to be quite a bit smaller.
For a "suitcase" nuke,say 5 inches by something less than 33
inches.Of course,the electronics part no longer needs to be in-line
with the physics pkg;in a suitcase,it could be next to it.No problem
fitting it in a suitcase.(especially the ones women always seem to
have their entire wardrobe packed into on trips. ;-) )

Then,118 lbs. includes the bomb casing,too,so I suspect a substantial
amount of weight could be cut from that number.

So,it would seem that a suitcase nuke is possible,but not a
briefcase-size nuke.

Jim, that's true, but it really is rather arrelevant. If it fits into
a Shipping Container or Conex Box, it's probably small enough to get
into any port in the world. The thing is, though, and my point from
before, is that it doesn't matter. If one is detonated, we'll know
who the source was before the fallout has finished, well, falling
out. We really are that good, and the different refinement processes
and plants all leave their own signatures. Whoever sold or "lost" it
is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
But not much time to do it in.


The smaller the nuke,the easier it is to smuggle it into the US.
You have more options for the method of entry.Even a small boat like they
use for smuggling drugs into the US.A backpack-sized nuke of 80 lbs could
be walked into the US from Mexico or Canada,by a small team of terrorists.

And what if Russia had some renegade officer sell a nuke to terrorists who
used it on a US city? That would not mean the US is going to nuke Russia in
return.Same for China or N.Korea. I suspect the US would take some time
investigating,and find that the terrorists had disappeared,if they managed
to find out who the nuke had been sold to,and no nuclear retaliation
launched at all. That's the worst part about WMD in non-State hands;there's
no ready target to retaliate against;the terrorists can scattter and hide
in other countries,where it's politically impossible to apply nuclear
retaliation.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net