Britain secretly upgrading its nukes without asking MPs – report
RT.com
7 Jun, 2016
Britain is secretly upgrading its arsenal of Trident nuclear weapons and is developing an entirely new warhead, according to a report from the Nuclear Information Service (NIS). Controversially, Parliament is yet to consent to its renewal.
The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Berkshire, where Britain’s nuclear warheads are manufactured and maintained, is working on a program to upgrade the current Trident warhead to produce a more powerful and accurate nuclear warhead, “Mark 4A,” the independent research body says.
Peter Burt of the NIS says: “The Mark 4A warhead modification programme will allow Trident nuclear warheads to remain in service until the middle of this century, and plenty of money is being spent to pave the way for developing a new generation warhead which will remain in service for even longer.”
A joint US-UK working group has been set up to allow collaboration on the programs, and new warheads have been tested at Sandia National Laboratories in the US.
The costs and the timetable of the program have not been revealed to Parliament, according to the report.
The modified warhead is however mentioned in a letter on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) website, dated July 2, 2014.
The letter says Dr Paul Hollinshead would be responsible for the “nuclear warhead capability sustainment programme” and for “commencement of Mk4A production in accordance with the Trident Manufacture Plan.”
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