Non-Proliferation: Secret No More

Non-Proliferation: Secret No More

With the dawn of the post-Cold War era, the nuclear weapon facilities in the United States and Russia have established new and more cooperative working relationships with each other. U. S. scientists and engineers routinely communicate with and visit colleagues in Russia’s secret cities. Presently there are a number of collaborative science and technology exchanges underway between these former foes. The two nations are working together to contain the spread of nuclear weapons and to ensure that the remaining nuclear weapons held by both nations are maintained with the highest levels of safety and security. In addition, there are several programs that are designed to adapt the technologies developed for military purposes to appropriate civilian applications. The following information symbolizes this new era of peace and cooperation.

Nikolai L. Dukhov was the first director of the All-Union Institute of Automatics.

Dmitry Vasilyev was the First Director of the All-Union Institute of Technical Physics at Chelyabinsk-70. (VNIIEF)

Pavel M. Zernov was the first director of the All-Union Institute of Experimental Physics at Arzamas-16 (VNIIEF).

Yuly B. Khariton was the First Scientific Director of Arzamas-16.

American and Russian scientists meet.

An American delegation visits the Chelyabinsk-70 museum. The 100 megaton bomb and a 152 millimeter artillery projectile exhibited in the Chelyabinsk-70 museum during the visit of an American delegation.

This device produced minimal radioactivity. This Russian thermonuclear device was designed for peaceful applications, such as large scale excavation of canals, etc. This device was designed to produce minimal residual radioactivity.

This warhead was designed for a ground-based intercontinental ballistic missile.

Warhead section for a nuclear anti-aircraft missile.

A web site for the Russian museums may be found at www.en.vniief.ru/

Non-Proliferation: British Nuclear Weapon Trainer
The British WE177 was manufactured in three different variants, A, B and C. Weighing 600 to 950 pounds the three variants of the nuclear weapon, that also had different nuclear yields, were stockpiled between 1966 and 1998. The 112’ to 133’ long WE177s could be parachute retarded or used in a free fall mode with a number of different delivery and fusing options.

Most United Kingdom (UK) strike aircraft of the period 1966 to 1998 could deliver all the WE177 models. The WE177A could also be dropped from most UK Naval helicopters in its role as depth bomb.

The original agreement was signed between the two countries in Washington, D.C. on July 3, 1958.