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Kermit2

Joined Feb 5, 2010
4,162
Salt treaty. we are allowed 75 nuclear cspable long range bombers and one was decommisioned. we brought one out of mothball status to maintain the number allowed by treaty
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Salt treaty. we are allowed 75 nuclear cspable long range bombers and one was decommisioned. we brought one out of mothball status to maintain the number allowed by treaty
I think that number is wrong given that we have 76 B-52s, and about 20 B-2s. We also have about 70 B-1s, but they are technically no longer nuclear capable, though I don't know how the SALT-II treaty treats them since the U.S. had to destroy numerous decommissioned B-52s that were on permanent static display outside museums and airports in order to satisfy the requirements of the SALT and SALT II based on the premise that they COULD be returned to service, at least in principle -- even the decommissioned Titan-II rocket in the museum silo is required to have the silo doors permanently open and the warhead cover removed (it's replaced with a lexan cover) so that Soviet (now Russian) satellites can verify that it is unarmed; so it seems unlikely that they would not insist on counting operational B-1s against the limits.

According to the State Department, http://www.state.gov/t/isn/5195.htm , the limit is 2400 aggregate SLBM, ICBM, and heavy bombers.
 

Kermit2

Joined Feb 5, 2010
4,162
75 is what we had after a fire at Barksdale AFB severly damaged one. So 76 is the correct number.
And the re-activated bomber WAS brought out of mothballs for the purpose of maintaining treaty numbers at the agreed upon levels. START not SALT.
The decades all kinda blend together after a certain age.
:)
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Yeah, they sure do.

So under New START, we are allowed 60 nuclear-capable bombers but have until 2018 to meet those limits. Which begs the question of why bring this bird out of mothballs since we need to reduce our nuclear bomber force by nearly 50% in the next couple years. My guess is that the one that burned was one of the ones that they wanted to keep and that, after looking at the next best candidate for a keeper they decided that the best mothballed bird was a better choice.
 
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