# Could You "Slim Pickens" a Bomb In? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973 "2007-01-06T21:28:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/21 "2016-06-07T18:42:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > …bomb dropper, nuclear… Now that’s an MOS. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/22 "2016-06-07T19:11:51Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > **LSLGuy** , might part of the reason for the short delay also be an actual concern about disarming the bomb on the ground? And by “disarming”, I mean “lobbing a grenade at”. As I understand it, wouldn’t that keep the bomb from going off, by knocking the shaped charges out of whack, or whatever? Thats what BDA and post strike missions are for, more canned sunshine than targets. But I am guessing that the device is salvage fused. Declan ---
**Author:** ![joema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@joema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joema)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/23 "2016-06-07T23:02:23Z")
Although nobody has ridden a nuclear bomb like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove, it has almost happened on two occasions. May 27, 1957: A B-36J is ferrying a Mk-17 15-megaton H-bomb and approaching Kirtland AFB. A safety procedure required pulling the bomb release locking pin before landing to enable an emergency jettison if needed. As depicted in the movie, climbing around the bomb bay is a dark, confined space. In this case the crewman climbed back there, pulled the pin, then lost his balance and while flailing for something to grab, pulled the emergency bomb release handle. The 42,000 lb Mk-17 departed the plane, taking the bomb bay doors with it. The crewman managed to hang on. Some of the bomb’s high explosives detonated on impact but the nuclear portion was was not armed, so did not detonate in a nuclear fashion. March 11, 1958: A B-47E is on a training mission with a Mk-6 30 kiloton bomb, flying over Florence, SC. It is not armed and the nuclear core was not installed. Upon takeoff the normal practice was to remotely engage the bomb release safety pin to prevent an inadvertent drop. However the remote pin engagement produced a warning light, so the the Captain asked the bombardier to crawl back in the bomb bay and find what’s wrong. Again, like the Kubrick movie, the bomb bay was a dark confined space and the bombardier could not locate the safety pin mechanism. In searching for it he tried to climb on top of the bomb, and feeling for a hand hold, he accidentally grabbed and pulled the emergency release lever. The bomb dropped through the closed bay doors, which is where he was standing. As he felt himself following the bomb into space, he managed to grab something then pull his legs back into the plane. The released Mk-6 bomb hit an unoccupied child’s playhouse and on impact the high explosives detonated, making a crater 75 feet wide. The blast injured some people on the ground but nobody was killed. Since then all nuclear weapons have been upgraded to use chemical explosives that will not detonate on impact. These are documented in the book Atomic Accidents by Jim Mahaffey. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/24 "2016-06-08T13:06:20Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I’ve spent nine years wondering: > > The pilot or weapons officer sets the delay by themselves? It’s not decided upon on base (are carrier aircraft nuke capable, BTW?) before loading? I’d presume the timer itself is probably set on the ground before the bomb is loaded, depending on the planned method of delivery. Presumably they know ahead of time if they’re going to load the bomb onto a B-52 (big and slow), a B-1B (big and fast), or whatever else. Currently, I do not believe the Navy operates nuclear bombers, but they used to. There were a small variety of twin and triple engined jet bombers used for a while. Way back in the 50s, they had prop-driven twin-engine nuclear bombers as well. When the Navy’s nuke mission became primarily sub-launched missile-based, the nuclear bombers were retired or converted to other missions, to include things like reconnaissance, electronic warfare, or air-refueling. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/25 "2016-06-08T13:15:36Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > You forgot the most important part of doing a low-altitude bombing run: Singing “Downtown” enthusiastically off-key as you fly away. 😃 The lights are much brighter there, you can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go DOWNTOWN. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/26 "2016-06-08T14:01:27Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I’d presume the timer itself is probably set on the ground before the bomb is loaded, depending on the planned method of delivery. Presumably they know ahead of time if they’re going to load the bomb onto a B-52 (big and slow), a B-1B (big and fast), or whatever else. > > Currently, I do not believe the Navy operates nuclear bombers, but they used to. There were a small variety of twin and triple engined jet bombers used for a while. Way back in the 50s, they had prop-driven twin-engine nuclear bombers as well. When the Navy’s nuke mission became primarily sub-launched missile-based, the nuclear bombers were retired or converted to other missions, to include things like reconnaissance, electronic warfare, or air-refueling. Thanks–I asked because our current Bomb Dropper, Nuclear mentioned “setting the timer” as part of his (goofy) mission profile. (Weren’t you, **Ruguleadar** , a Bomb Dropper also? I know there are few about GQ.) Although this is probably more like “initiating the (predefined) arming sequence”–now _that’s_ something I’d like to know about–the human authorization confirmation routines; but even if we could get the PTB to offer him Charter Membership I doubt **LSLGuy** would tell us much. (You notice he hasn’t replied to the query…) On the other other hand, since we’re basing this discussion on procedures and doctrine of Major Kong, what if the attack profile (I just made up “attack profile” because it sounds cool) does include, in some bizarre turn of events, a target of opportunity? Because it would be a shame to drop such an expensive bomb in the drink. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/27 "2016-06-08T14:14:56Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Thanks–I asked because our current Bomb Dropper, Nuclear mentioned “setting the timer” as part of his (goofy) mission profile. Think of a guy on the ground who sees the bomb fall, and figures it didn’t go off. “Thank goodness, a dud!” …CLICK ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/28 "2016-06-08T14:21:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Think of a guy on the ground who sees the bomb fall, and figures it didn’t go off. > “Thank goodness, a dud!” > …CLICK Before the mushroom cloud: \* Roadrunner turns to look at us, gulps. \* ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/29 "2016-06-08T14:22:00Z")
> [@Operation\_Ripper](#): > > [Here’s relevent clip on YouTube…](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK4s9gwgUvs) Linky no worky. Try this (and as a bonus, see James Earl Jones’s screen debut!): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snTaSJk0n\_Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snTaSJk0n_Y) > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > …are carrier aircraft nuke capable, BTW?.. > [@Raguleader](#): > > …Currently, I do not believe the Navy operates nuclear bombers, but they used to. There were a small variety of twin and triple engined jet bombers used for a while. Way back in the 50s, they had prop-driven twin-engine nuclear bombers as well. When the Navy’s nuke mission became primarily sub-launched missile-based, the nuclear bombers were retired or converted to other missions, to include things like reconnaissance, electronic warfare, or air-refueling. Correct. Some examples: > **[North American AJ Savage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_AJ_Savage)** > > The North American AJ Savage (later A-2 Savage) is an American carrier-based medium bomber built for the United States Navy by North American Aviation. The aircraft was designed shortly after World War II to carry atomic bombs and this meant that the bomber was the heaviest aircraft thus far designed to operate from an aircraft carrier. It was powered by two piston engines and a turbojet buried in the rear fuselage. The AJ-1 first became operational in 1950 and several were based in South Korea... > **[Douglas A-3 Skywarrior](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_A-3_Skywarrior)** > > The Douglas A-3 Skywarrior is a jet-powered strategic bomber that was developed and produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was designed by Douglas on behalf of the United States Navy, which sought a carrier-capable strategic bomber. In July 1949, Douglas was awarded the contract to produce its design, having bested eight other aircraft companies' submissions. Unlike rival designs, which had aimed for a 100,000 lb (45,000 kg) maximum take-off weight, the Skywarrior was developed for a 68,000... > **[North American A-5 Vigilante](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_A-5_Vigilante)** > > The North American A-5 Vigilante is an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation (NAA) for the United States Navy. Before the 1962 unification of Navy and Air Force designations, it was designated A3J. > Development of the A-5 had started in 1954 as a private venture by NAA, who sought to produce a capable supersonic long-distance bomber as a successor to the abortive North American XA2J Super Savage. It was a large and complex aircraft that incorporate... ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/30 "2016-06-08T14:45:17Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > [snip] > > …even if we could get the PTB to offer him Charter Membership I doubt **LSLGuy** would tell us much. (You notice he hasn’t replied to the query…) > > [snip] I noticed that as well so I checked his profile. Turns out he hasn’t logged on since the 20th of May and hasn’t posted since the 16th of April. I hope he comes back soon, I’d like to hear more about being a bomb dropper, nuclear too! ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/31 "2016-06-08T14:48:47Z")
Yes, I was actually a little concerned and sent him a PM earlier. GQ gotta stick together. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/32 "2016-06-08T14:55:58Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > As a long-time student of international politics, I fear we have a rather different problem on our hands with Militant Islam than we did with Communist Totalitarianism. And having a bunch of aging Cold Warriors in charge for the last few years has supplied exactly the wrong attempted solutions to the current set of problems. But that’s not exactly GQ material, so I’ll quit for now. Prophetic statement from 01-07-2007 on both counts. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/33 "2016-06-08T15:24:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That was Felix Leiter. > > Bond was about to pee on himself, watching the timer, and Felix reached over his shoulder and pulled a wire off. Which one was this? And I bet the nuke wasn’t underwater, where you couldn’t tell which wire was the red one or the green one you had to cut. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/34 "2016-06-08T15:34:13Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Which one was this? > > And I bet the nuke wasn’t underwater, where you couldn’t tell which wire was the red one or the green one you had to cut. The film _Goldfinger._ They were in Fort Knox, Goldfinger planning to make US gold reserves worthlessly radioactive, and therefore his personal gold more valuable. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/35 "2016-06-08T15:50:46Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Prophetic statement from 01-07-2007 on both counts. Hardly. Whilst not wrong, it’s not much that wasn’t pretty obvious by 2007. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/36 "2016-06-08T15:59:18Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Think of a guy on the ground who sees the bomb fall, and figures it didn’t go off. > “Thank goodness, a dud!” > …CLICK I[read](https://www.amazon.com/Command-Control-Damascus-Accident-Illusion/dp/0143125788/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1465401524&sr=8-1&keywords=command+and+control) that there was a time that some of the bombs had such “good” safeties that they might not have gone off in an actual war. THAT would have been embarrassing! “What if they gave a war and no bombs came?” ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/37 "2016-06-08T18:17:04Z")
Fascinating thread. In terms of the movie, however, we never see the bomber crew after the detonation, so we don’t know for sure if they got far enough away or not. If they didn’t just as well, since they would get an unexpected response to their bit of heroism - which is one of the great ironies of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/38 "2016-06-08T18:30:02Z")
Yes. And see _Fail-Safe_ for a much more serious take on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/39 "2016-06-08T19:43:17Z")
While we all wait for **LSLGuy** to return, here’s [a youtube clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5FQu3Z08II) of a B-52 performing the “Laydown” bomb drop procedure he was talking about for a practice [B-28](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B28_nuclear_bomb) nuclear bomb. I noted a couple of things about the clip. [ul] [li]First, as he noted, it’s a really cool parachute they use to decelerate the bomb from the 300-500 knot speed the B-52’s moving along at, to nearly zero forward velocity, judging by the impact of the bomb. [/li][li]Second, for an unguided bomb, the B-52 guys really were accurate, assuming that black and white striped post was their target. In any event, the bomb landed right in the middle of the gray pad that I assume they were aiming for. [/li][li]Third, I thought it was funny that there was a voice counting, “eighty-two, eighty-three, eighty-four,” until the bomb “exploded.” (At 1:22 on the clip) Seems like enough time that a motivated target might be able to do something to the bomb, but I imagine they probably had other things to do instead of looking around for the one ton steel cigar that someone just dropped near them.[/li][/ul] Aside, a minute and a half strikes me as way too much time, given the max yield on a B-28 is about a megaton and a half. Even at 300 knots, 7.5 nautical miles should be far enough, given, as **LSLGuy** told us, that the blast wave still has to catch up to you. IIRC, B-52’s can go even faster at low level, but it didn’t look to my admittedly untrained eye that this pilot really was going that fast. OTOH, this B-52 was putting out quite a bit of soot, like other times I’ve seen when B-52s were putting the hammer down, like e.g., [minimum interval takeoff drills.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJ7niLYSVFo&t=201) Although, not every one of the bombers in that clip is smoking like a chimney. Guess it varies depending on plane, altitude, and engine setting. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973/40 "2016-06-08T19:56:53Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Yes. And see _Fail-Safe_ for a much more serious take on the subject. General Turgidson has a book “Equivalent Cities in Megadeaths” in front of him, which I take to be a direct reference to Fail Safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-slim-pickens-a-bomb-in/386973.md?page=3)