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How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons - Foreign Affairs - Nairaland

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How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons by Nobody: 12:23pm On Sep 14, 2019
Sometime in 1979 a U.S. Air Force monitoring satellite spotted a mysterious flash in the southern Indian Ocean near some South African islands.

But the U.S. government decided not to tell the world what it had found out: that Apartheid South Africa had just conducted a nuclear test.

This is the kind of tests North Korea is routinely penalised for today.

In the early 1980s, South Africa’s arms corporation, Armscor (now Denel, Ltd.) set up a bomb making facility near Pretoria.

By 1982 South Africa had built three nuclear devices. These were:

1. An unnamed test unit for “cold-testing” (using low-fissile U-238) reputed to weigh three tons,

2. A true test device named “Melba” or “Video” less than half the weight of the first, and

3. Its first “G.I.-proof” weapon “Hobo” or “Cabot.”
South Africa decided to pursue a strategy of “ambiguity” by neither confirming nor denying its possession of nuclear bombs.

The 4 Stages At Which Apartheid South Africa Planned To Use Nuclear Weapons:

1.If South Africa faced imminent threat from its African neighbors or the Soviet Union,

2. In the second phase South Africa would secretly inform allies like the United States its nuclear bombs, hoping for their intervention

3. If after the secret revelation the US and its allies failed to help South Africa, it would demonstrate its capacity by detonating weapons as a show of force.
4. The Apartheid regime was not very clear about phase 4: the field use of nuclear weapons on military targets.

South Africa was able to make up to 8 nuclear bombs, described as clunky things suitable “for getting kicked out the back of a plane” according to reports.

Public photos and info of the South African nuclear bomb casings show bombs the size of trash cans and likely as heavy as SUVs.


So, Where Are South Africa’s Nuclear Weapons Today? They...

Re: How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons by EtovalAutomobil: 12:25pm On Sep 14, 2019
What if you knew Nigeria have nuclear launch sites what will you do.You really think we would get scared abi.Better tell South African especially the black ones to seat up before we nuke them out of existence.Niger is just close by our friendly neighbors can supply us with 100 tonnes of uranium.Don't come here with your indirect threats.

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Re: How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons by Horus(m): 6:10pm On Sep 14, 2019

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MEgNN-uqQQ

South Africa's nuclear secret
Re: How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons by dnawah(m): 8:41pm On Sep 14, 2019
Horus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MEgNN-uqQQ
South Africa's nuclear secret
make we fea?
Re: How South Africa Got Nuclear Weapons by dnawah(m): 8:42pm On Sep 14, 2019
Horus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MEgNN-uqQQ
South Africa's nuclear secret
make we fear?

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