Journal SPAM: BBC: British Nukes Were Protected by Bike Locks 3
In a revelation that got little attention on the US side of the pond, BBC Newsnight "discovered that until the early days of the Blair government the RAF's nuclear bombs were armed by turning a bicycle lock key. There was no other security on the Bomb itself." American and Russian nukes have tamper-proof combination locks called Permissive Action Links - or PALs - which would prevent them being armed unless one or more correct codes were entered. The Bombs carried by RAF Vulcan and Tornado aircraft were actually armed by inserting a bicycle lock key - then turning it 90 degrees. If known, this may have simplified the cliffhanging end of several James Bond films, as no code needed to be entered or dual key system to prevent a rogue individual from arming the Bomb. The RAF kept their unsafeguarded bombs at airbases until they were withdrawn in 1998.
Ah yes... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
these are the Kryptonite locks that you can defeat with a Biro pen.
Re: (Score:2)
<Smug Monty Pythonesque Englishman>I'm afraid we've thought of that too. Since everyone knows that all terrorists are illiterate, they would not have a pen in their possession, now would they?</Smug Monty Pythonesque Englishman>