Nuclear Weapon and SNM Transport By Air
UK nuclear weapons are moved by road, but movements of US nuclear weapons are conducted by air. The RAF maintains response teams at a number of bases along the flight route which are brought to immediate readiness during the transit of the aircraft through their area. The Special Safety Cell (SSC) at Ensleigh in Bath is staffed throughout the flight. Only multi-engined military transport aircraft are used to transport nuclear or SNM weapons by air, and after careful route selection . Aircraft selected for the task are subject to special safety checks and an enhanced maintenance regime.
SNM material is flown to the US under agreements. In a letter to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, the MoD said they “can confirm that the Ministry of Defence does transport special nuclear material by air to the United States under the provisions of the 1958 UK/US Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes.” Some non-nuclear states to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) maintain that this movement of SNM breaks Article I of the NPT.
Read more about this topic: Defence Nuclear Material Transport Operations
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