Britain’s ‘Independent’ V-Bomber Force and US Nuclear Weapons, 1957–1962 |
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Authors: | Justin Bronk |
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Institution: | International History Department, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK |
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Abstract: | This article examines a secret Anglo-American programme, Project ‘E’, which equipped the RAF’s V-bomber Force with US nuclear weapons for use in wartime. It shows Project ‘E’ was ineffective as a warhead supply programme and, furthermore, that it crippled the operational effectiveness of the V-bomber Force as a whole between 1958 and 1962. This article argues that as a result of Project ‘E’, the V-Force was neither operationally nor politically independent as a nuclear deterrent force. This challenges the traditional view of the V-Force as the benchmark of nuclear independence to assess the Skybolt, Polaris and Trident programmes. |
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Keywords: | Anglo-American Interdependence Nuclear Weapons Cold War Independence Deterrent |
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