# Are there any planes flying around with nuclear weapons onboard? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429 "2004-10-27T12:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/1 "2004-10-27T12:53:13Z")
…or do the nuclear bombs only get attached under super high alert conditions? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/2 "2004-10-27T12:57:09Z")
Back in the day there were nukular-armed bombers circling the USSR 24/7. Man, did those things piss the commies off. I don’t think we have them any more, what with Russia not being jerks (as much) anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/3 "2004-10-27T13:16:10Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Back in the day there were nukular-armed bombers circling the USSR 24/7. Man, did those things piss the commies off. > > I don’t think we have them any more, what with Russia not being jerks (as much) anymore. After several exciting aircraft crashes with nuclear weapons on board, we were quite happy when that particular piece of deterrance was no longer required. ---
**Author:** ![Hemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Hemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hemlock)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/4 "2004-10-27T13:22:25Z")
There are still aircraft that can be equipped with tactical nuclear weapons. In the 50s, the Soviets also had long-range bombers in the air round the clock or on very short-notice standby. The idea was to deter against a pre-emptive strike against the homeland by ensuring that some nuclear threat would survive (because it would have been airborne). Once ICBMs came into service, the 24/7 flying wasn’t necessary. Submarine-launched ICBMs, being immune from a pre-emptive strike , serve a similar purpose. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/5 "2004-10-27T13:25:02Z")
I think the French can get a nuke equipped Mirage up in the air pretty sharpish. Not sure about the Chinese. We (UK) don’t have any air-carried nukes anymore - all from subs. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/6 "2004-10-27T14:26:32Z")
the U.S. military is extremely reluctant to acknowledge that they may or may not have nuclear weaponry anywhere – on a particular Air Force base, in a foreign country or on a particular aircraft at any given time. So, there’s no “official” answer to your question. However, the military is proud to proclaim how fast they can get a bomber off the ground (it used to be 7 minutes, I have no idea what it is now). and, as **Blackclaw** said, there have been several crashes of planes armed with nuclear weapons, so the best we can say is they _can_ do it and they _have_ done it in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/7 "2004-10-27T15:13:11Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > Back in the day there were nukular-armed bombers circling the USSR 24/7. Man, did those things piss the commies off. Geez, some people just get bent out of shape over every little thing… ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/8 "2004-10-27T15:18:19Z")
SAC ended [“airborne alert”](http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/history/coldwar/cw19.htm) in 1968. Took me all of 0.45 seconds to find that, you’d think that we would have looked for the year instead of using such vague terms. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/9 "2004-10-28T00:15:15Z")
1963 to 1966, USS Forrestal, two Med cruises. I can’t remember the aircraft used, but, 24/7, there was a plane tucked away on the hangar deck with a nuclear weapon/weapons on board. It was roped off, and guarded by armed Marines at all times in port. At sea, we stupid sailors patrolled the rope, each with an empty .45, supervised by a Marine Sgt., who held the ammunition. :eek: Go figure. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/10 "2004-10-28T01:29:41Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > At sea, we stupid sailors patrolled the rope, each with an empty .45, supervised by a Marine Sgt., who held the ammunition. :eek: > Go figure. You don’t know how comforting it is to know that our rapid-response nukes are being protected by sailors who would be out-gunned by a guy with a SuperSoaker. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/11 "2004-10-28T20:31:47Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > You don’t know how comforting it is to know that our rapid-response nukes are being protected by sailors who would be out-gunned by a guy with a SuperSoaker. Heh…same thing went on when we visited Beirut, Lebanon. I was assigned as a crew member on a picket boat. While the Forrestal was anchored off shore, after dark, a 12 foot, outboard motor powered ROW boat fer crissake…made all night circles around the ship to keep any civilian boats from approaching the ship. ( it probably took us 20 minutes to circle the behemoth) We three sailors were armed with shotguns, and the Marine Sgt. held the shells. The bombing of the USS Cole brought that memory back to me, because, I don’t remember any picket boats protecting that ship. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-planes-flying-around-with-nuclear-weapons-onboard/271429/12 "2004-10-28T22:19:25Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > However, the military is proud to proclaim how fast they can get a bomber off the ground (it used to be 7 minutes, I have no idea what it is now). Judging by their fast and effective response on 9/11, I’m guessing that their time has gone to … oh … an hour and a half. Longer if you want the plane actually armed. Oh, sorry. Those were fighters, not bombers. Make it two hours, then.