NIS Nuclear Information Service | nuclear weapons/nukewatch

Exercise Solar Victory 08: Nuclear convoy counter-terrorism exercise

The 'Solar Victory' exercise took place in October 2008 and was organised by the Ministry of Defence Police in the South Yorkshire area. The exercise was part of the Home Office 'New Salesman' series of counter-terrorism exercises, and the exercise was based on a scenario relating to a terrorist attack on a nuclear weapons convoy travelling through the area.

Convoy monitoring shows UK warhead programme is operating at a baseline level.

The annual summary of UK nuclear warhead convoy movements published by Nukewatch for 2010 shows that the UK's nuclear warhead programme is currently operating a baseline level, with a minimum number of warhead movements taking place over the year. The number of movements is consistent with the maintenance and surveillance needs of the programme.

Nuclear Materials Flown to USA

A Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) cargo left AWE Burghfield on Monday 11th June in High Security Vehicle (HSV) Number 4. With only two non-military escort vehicles, it traveled at 60mph to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire where it met a waiting aircraft on the runway. As soon as the cargo was transferred by fork-lift truck into its side loading bay, the plane took off for the USA. Nuclear warhead materials are exchanged between the UK and USA under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement.

plane carrying British military nuclear material to USA

Nuclear Warhead Convoy gets lost in Nottingham suburb

At the final westerly A52 roundabout the support convoy of a breakdown truck, coach and large mobile emergency unit with its trailer, took an obviously wrong turn into a residential area and stopped for a few minutes, presumably realising their mistake and wondering what to do.

Trident warhead convoy lost in Derby

Nuclear powered decommissioning

No solution has been found for the storage of decommissioned nuclear submarines as waste. Dunfermline and West Fife MP Willie Rennie has received a letter from a government official in the Russian Arkhangelsk Region inviting him to the shipyard for a tour of the submarine dismantling facilities this summer.

Plan to cut nuclear stockpile 'a hollow gesture'

Ian Bruce is right to explain that Trident warhead numbers have already been reduced. Nukewatch records show that reduction have already been taking place over the last few years. In 2006, 3 or 4 loads were transported from AWE to Coulport and 5 were returned to AWE for servicing. This suggests that warheads are already being scrapped, possibly 4 or 8 this year, taking the UK inventory down to182 or 178. If these are to be reduced rapidly to the announced160, it could involve 20 being stored at RAF Honington in East Anglia to await dismantlement at AWE. This was the process for decommissioning Chevaline warheads in the 1990s. It is thought that below100 would not be a viable complement of warheads to keep AWE in business.

November 2006 Convoy

The fifth Continuous Running convoy this year left AWE Burghfield on Monday 13th November, reaching RNAD Coulport early the next morning, before the Faslane 365 blockade began. There have been 3 or 4 loads from AWE to Coulport and 5 returned to AWE for servicing in 2006. This suggests that some warheads have been scrapped, possibly 4 or 8. This would take the UK inventory down to 182 or 178 according to Nukewatch records. It is thought that below100 would not be a viable complement of warheads to keep AWE in business. In the light of the government's white paper on the replacement of Trident, promising a reduction of warhead numbers to 160, Nukewatch data would indicate that, in common with previous defence statements, the process announced has already begun.