Posted 9/11/2010 03:33:00 PM by Douglas

Wondering about the safety of the nation's nuclear bombs? Don't worry, the guys in the machine shop in PanTex are on it.

The Pantex Plant has created a specialized tooling system to help dismantle the B83 bomb, a Cold War-era nuclear weapon that weighs more than 2 tons.

The new tooling system is expected to reduce by half the number of facilities needed to dismantle a B83 and reduce the time it takes to process each weapon. The B83 is an air-dropped weapon once carried on U.S. bombers.

The new tooling provides a safe, controlled method of handling a 2,500-pound assembly in a single operating area without the need for hoisting or rigging equipment.

Well that's good, I guess. I can't imagine it being that much more difficult to disassemble such a device but maybe these guys didn't keep the receipt.

This story was also picked up here, which I'm posting just for the comments:

AnonomousIdiot wrote:
Gosh, AP did you think the Muslim terrorists had forgotten where the nuclear weapons were stored and you had to remind them with this no nothing article?

Yeah, because before that, no one knew where America's nuke plants where. It's just good they're being carefull. What's the worst that could happen?

A watchdog group charges a nuclear warhead nearly exploded in Texas when it was being dismantled at the government's Pantex facility near Amarillo. The Project on Government Oversight says it has been told by knowledgeable experts that the warhead nearly detonated in 2005 because an unsafe amount of pressure was applied while it was being disassembled.

Sleep tight, Amarillo!