Hi Simon, absolutely love your videos, thank you so much for them all! Recently the background track volume is getting louder and is super distracting. Any chance of lowering/less impulsive tracks please xxxx
A note, Simon refers to the fireball of the explosion have a wide area of effect. This is *NOT* the actual fireball, this is the thermal pulse. The fireball of a nuclear explosion is typically fairly small in comparison to the effect of the thermal pulse. The true fireball is typically measured in a few hundred meters for the largest weapons, but the thermal pulse can affect miles/kilometers.
@@joeycampbell940 Must have since airburst detonations don't create fallout. The only way we'll see a surface detonation is if some terrorists get their claws on a warhead. It just isn't tactically or strategically useful even in a MAD scenario since surface detonations sacrifice a lot of AOE damage for the more long-term fallout effects.
Another reason to maintain the silos is that they're a "sponge," meant to soak up some of the enemy's missiles so they have fewer to target large populations.
As well as a deterrant within themselves, if you allow your enemies to see your shiny, polished, well-maintained gear. They are less likely to do anything if they can SEE with their own eyes that you are prepared. Its really a good PR move too, every country in the world can see these silos and see them maintained, and they can also see them not being prepped for immediate action, its a win-win-win to have most of them in full view.
Given response time and the fact we know if an ICBM so much as shifts in a TEL in Russia due to our superior sat monitoring. It takes 5m from the time the order is given for our ICBMs To erupt from their silos. Russia or China would be hitting alot of empty silos in corn fields to be truthfully. They have to still target the sponge even if the missiles are launched because they have no way to know that when they push their own button. Hence why indeed our ICBMs can’t ever be used for an initial strike ever. You’ve got to bait the enemy into launching on the silos when the actual nav time per the CIA is actually 33-35mins for their ground launched nukes to hit a target in the USA (whether they could even get off the ground or the warheads would function due to fried electronics due to horrible maintainance is a discussion for later but just a reminder Russias whole defense budget prior to the invasion of Ukraine was at best equal to how much the USA spends on maintaining and upkeep of our Nuclear forces in all three legs which is roughly 52-55B a year per the NDAA)
@@davidjewel1453 Russia will not target silo .Nuclear missiles are used to inflict As much damage as possible to the enemy that means millions of people will die. America drop Nuclear bombs on civilian in Japan and not specified military target . Same thing will happen with ICBM launched .. Get more Knowledge on why Nuclear missiles made .
@mcarrusa A couple decades ago all the pizza places did that, then dominos was the only one that kept it for a while after then even they dropped it. But you get what I mean.
5:42 he glossed over _why_ Boeing dropped out, it's because Northrop bought out the only reasonable remaining US company capable of producing the solid rocket fuel engines the ICBMs would need which both firms were planning on using.
I’m not sure that’s it - Northrop supplies the solid fuel booster to the Boeing-Lockheed ULA Vulcan. I suppose it didn’t hurt Northrop. But Boeing and Northrop are major contractors for Lockheed on the F-35, for example. Boeing’s definitely gettin’ a slice of the pie. I’m sure Lockheed is, too.
@@ronjon7942 Northrop's acquisition of Orbital ATK is the reason Boeing provided for dropping out of the contract. They simply would not have been able to compete on cost against Northrop, when Northrop owned the only company that could make ICBMs.
@@hydra70 You’re correct except that Boosters are not ICBMs. It’s a big part but there are other critical components that together with the Boosters make an ICBM.
@@arclux SpaceX has no experience with solid rocket boosters. If they had bid on the Sentinel program, they would have been buying boosters from Orbital ATK just like Boeing or Northrop would have.
I know that their commercial aircraft division has lots of problems, but can the same be said for the division producing defense equipment? Boeing finances the development of commercial aircraft on their own, but Pentagon funds a lot of the development of defense stuff and the people designing missiles are not necessarily sourced from their pool of aircraft designers.
@@StephenMcGregor1986 that’s what I thought, I know it’s a fission to fusion reaction but most of the fallout is vaporized and it’s JUST the destruction, which is worse in a way because it means we could use it and then invade vs it becoming no mans land (thus making their use more likely?) my point was Simon was wrong about the fallout that’s an old misconception.
Which just takes one bomb. Tsar Bomba almost triggered an atmospheric chain reaction that would have burned away our atmosphere. One bomb twice the size of tsar bomba, no matter where it is detonated on the earths surface, will end our species. The nuclear race should have ended there, but as we can see, governments are still obsessed with the idea of a more tactical deployment of nuclear weapons. If people had any idea how much of the military budget is spent towards maintaining thousands of nuclear weapons, they would have a more negative reaction to this story, which is about spending even more money on nuclear weapons. People still can’t see the our state for what it is, an Autocratic Oligarchical Duopoly, with their own private military that is unaccountable to oversight or international law.
@@Gobbldeegoo1the tsar bomba was not close to igniting the atmosphere. There’s a common consensus that no hypothetical nuclear weapon would be able to do such a thing.
Great work guys, script, speak, edit, all great as usual. I myself prefer the normal music, at a low volume, alternative tracks are fine too, but I prefer when the audio is only distinctly and noticeably audible during title sequences/cards. I enjoy when the background music is atmospheric when fact boy is reading scripts. Otherwise it ends up battling him for attention, just like the overuse of audio filters in videos published many months ago, it's just a bit distracting. Keep up the good work gals and gents!
One of the great hypocrisies of the UN status quo. From across Libya, Iraq, and Ukraine on one side, Iran somewhere in the middle, and North Korea, Israel, and Russia on the other there is a clear message: You are free real estate if you don't have nukes and get to walk away with carrying out absurdity against the rules if you do have them or credibly might get them. "But everyone, we know we've made it clear that it is important to own nukes, but please don't seek to own nukes!" (China/US could go into there somewhere too, but that is muddied by US/China non-nuclear based power.)
@@coop6951 Zelenskyy said it was 180k at most, although there are over a million dead Ukrainians though sadly and many more injured. "During the press conference on February 25, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also specified that a total of 180,000 Russians have been killed" Stop lying about the losses it only prolongs and magnifies the death of Ukrainians that are being forced to fight in a pointless war they can never win.
There is only one other story teller that is of as high of caliber as you here on RUclips. And that is Thoughty2! He’s amazing just as you are!! I’m so blown away by the incredibly impressive and thoroughly complete presentations you both have! Just AMAZING! You two have the most uncanny way of presenting things in an overwhelmingly Interesting way! I’ve never seen anything like it! Wow!!!! Thank you for this! It was very informative and educational! Cheers!!
So... I don't watch TV, I watch RUclips... Over the Christmas period many creators don't release much so my entertainment has been a bit shit over the past week or so. Thanks Simon.
Ha, same. RUclips and Rumble, that’s it. And I almost always use tablets. Rarely, I’ll turn on the ‘telly. I bought a tv for my bedroom three months ago - still in the box.
Ya we didn't say it because it rhymed. We said it because it was horrible and guys didn't want those orders to drop. So, when they did and bitched it was tongue in cheek, as in we know it sucks, but why not?
In ireland that price equates to a children's hospital, a security hut, a bike shed, a printer, and some e voting machines. The rest was made up by all the enquiries that happened to find out why the government wastes money, but makes sure nobody is held accountable
I worked on the Minuteman II missile sites back in the '70's. It's been a hell of a successful system. And at about 1/10th the cost of the Titan missile before it. Let's hope the sentinel is as good.
Just a friendly reminder. Maintain OPSEC. Do NOT answer anyone’s questions! Be very VERY careful with what you disclose on your channel and in the comments sections.
Because the bidding system is rigged for the “lowest price”, and it should not be. This is because all of the contractors will race to the bottom, and just like civilian contractors, they make their money on change orders.
It's not just defense. Check out the California HSR project or the SF bay bridge. It's virtually unheard of for a government project of any type to come in on time or under budget.
The video provides a balanced overview of nuclear deterrence and modernization challenges. It's important to evaluate the Sentinel program's overruns alongside its strategic necessity.
Gods of steel unleash their destruction on man Reign of death, what is the final command? Scepters of hate are dropped upon this Earth Clouds of terror destroy all hope of rebirth
Plutonium is meant to develop cracks and defects from internal helium build up. Every random nuclear decay producing an alpha particle adds to the problem over time.
Yikes... reading comprehension really isn't a thing with you MAGA folk, eh? First of all, it's five hundred to eight hundred THOUSAND, not five to eight hundred million. Second of all, that's FATALITIES, not casualties. A casualty includes anyone that is killed OR wounded, so casualties would include the two million injured that the commentator cited; i.e. total casualties would be 2.5-2.8 million. Lmao, seven words and homie manages to absolutely butcher it. Didn't have to put MAGA in your username to make it blatantly obvious you're a Trumper... somehow the right wing manages to attract every American that's dumb as a rock. To be honest, that level of consistency is quite impressive!
The casualty estimate is... and understatement. If compare to Hiroshima ratio the casualties from 1 missile armed with 3 warheads at 300 kilotons total 13 million.
My favorite part of watching Megaprojects is when Simon gets EXCITED about how much the United States spends on weapons. He genuinely looks like a kid on Christmas morning whenever he covers a topic involving how many weapons America has and how much they cost. It’s hilarious.
Tulsi gabbard is exactly what this country needs to temper its response the warmonger Democrats need to be kept on their heels so that they don't get us into an unnecessary war and she is the only person of her status that can keep that from happening
The reason behind the triad is that an enemy would be reluctant to attack if he had only one or two ways to neutralize or counteract a triad component. This is why the submarine-based weapons are so vitally important, land-based sites are subject to a "First Strike" and aircraft are vulnerable, even stealth.
It's interesting to note how much smaller these are than the nuclear bombs of the cold war. Russia's Tsar Bomba test in 1961 was 50,000-kilo tons (50-megatons). It was designed to be a 2-stage, 100-megaton bomb. The 2nd stage was replaced with steel. USA's biggest test was a mistake. Castle Bravo was intended to produce about 6-megatons. Instead, it was about 15. Both countries fielded 25-megaton bombs. Currently, the most powerful US bomb is the 1.2-megaton (twice yield of this missile) B-83. It has been studied for changing the course of an asteroid expected to collide with the earth.
We had a replacement for the Minuteman back in the 80s called the MX Peacekeeper. It was briefly shown in the background at one point. It had 10+ warheads and was mobile(-ish). However, it was dealt away in the Strategic Arms Limitation / Reduction Treaties (SALT/START). You also didn't mention that the new Sentinel will only have one warhead, as opposed to the three warheads on the Minuteman. More warheads per missile has been considered strategically destabilizing, but they do provide increased second strike capability for any surviving missiles. Also, the latest Russian nukes, SS-29 "Satan II/Sarmat", have 16+ warheads/decoys themselves.
The Minuteman 3s can carry 3 warheads but all deployed missiles only have one warhead installed per arms treaties, same with Russian ICBMs, they only have one warhead installed. The Sentinel will be able to carry 10 MIRV warheads just like the old Peacekeeper but unless arms treaties change only one warhead will be installed by default. That 10 warhead capacity is per unclassified information disclosed by the Air Force so I suspect the real number is higher. For comparison a Trident II SLBM can carry 10 475kt warheads or 14 300kt warheads.
Current Minuteman III have single warheads, the MIRVs were removed and single warhead buss installed. Trident II has MIRVs still, but more importantly they need to be replaced with MARVs in both SLBMs and ICBMs. SLBMs are US 2nd Strike weapons, though yes 2 or 3 MARVs per ICBM would bring us more like parity with Russia, they are destablizing.
Another factor that has blown both cost and timeline out that wasn't mentioned is the deteriorated state of many of the existing Minuteman silo. The majority have been found to require remedial work. Because these issues vary in nature and extent, there is no easy way to contract remediation work, as each silo has different problems. It beggars belief that nobody was able to foresee that concrete tubes containing a myriad of structural, mechanical and electronic systems may have deteriorated somewhat in the sixty-or-so years that they have been in use...
actually it was much less. in the Hiroshima bomb maybe 660 grams went thru fission out of a total of 51K. using E=MC2 less than one gram of Uranium by weight was lost and turned into pure energy.
We need a strong deterrent, for sure. Sponge theory is alright too, but air bases do a much better job of that. Prompt strike, also pretty good from a tactical perspective... if a little destabilizing ;) Nuclear submarines just... do it better. They're hidden better, they can get closer to the enemy, and they're not really much more expensive than modernizing all the silos.
True but that maybe changing soon... Satellites that can detect submarines are on the way. Just a matter of time. And as quickly as things progress nowadays I would not be surprised to see them exist in my lifetime.
Not mentioned is that the land-based part of the Triad is supposed to be a "missile sponge" for adversary warheads. That's why the sites are well known - almost advertised.
It is downright scary how inept the US military industrial base has become. China is now building 100 medium and large yield nukes each year. That used to be easy for the USA, and with old technology. The MX Missiles had a CEP of 40 meters with internal guidance alone, no GPS needed. The missile was jam proof. None of the newer US ICBMs or SLBMs are that accurate. Also, it shouldn't take ten years just to build a uranium plant. It took 2 years to build one during WWII with ancient technology. This lack of manufacturing ability is the result of too much intrusive bureaucracy and way too much interference from investment class scoundrels.
The main part is ensuring their launches can’t be blocked by cypher-attack, sabotage, or destruction of communications infrastructure. Installing quantum-sensor navigation to replace GPS will ensure their guidance systems can’t be interfered with or blocked.
World: "Stop pretending to be the world police!" US: "Okay, I'm gonna go fishing, but if anything bad happens to you, remember, you were the one who told me to leave. *leaves*" *big bad dictator comes along* World: "Oh no, I deleted the US's number from my phone. Ugh, maybe if we asked the dictator nicely, they won't conquer us."
A discussion of the game theory, ABM treaty, intermediate range treaty would be interesting. How did people in the 50s and 60s take steps to avoid an exchange, and why are those safeguards removed today?
I’m not sure 78 billion was enough for this project in the first place considering the scale of it. New missile, but also new launch facilities, new materials, new capabilities in a missile
Can I ask you something? Do you genuinely think the us government sends them straight up currency? Or what do you think those billions consist of, what makes up that dollar amount? I'm genuinely curious as to what you think it is.
The information gained alone on how even aging western equipment fairs against Russian equipment and tactics make the perceived $ cost fully worth it. And having a testing ground like that to see the effectiveness of things like drones is invaluable in a preparation and readiness sense. Also allowing Putin to steam roll would just embolden him to take further violent action. It also drains Russia’s ability to make war the longer it lasts. The war is terrible. To call the support a waist is ignorant
@Shxlbyyy do you think the stuff they send to ukraine doesnt get replaced by new equipment and the US taxpayer doesnt pay for the replacements? You realize a piece of equipment given away at its full value when built is roughly 2x more expensive to replace currently right? So if we give them a Bradley, it will cost the US taxpayer significantly more to replace it with current tech equipment at current prices.... Why cant you people understand this? Its a very simple concept and it is based in absolute fact....
To withdraw the nuclear umbrella from US allies would bring big problems. One of them is that all of this allies are able to build their own nuclear weapons.
I live right in the area that is controlled by the aforementioned F.E. Warren Air Base. We have 168 missile silos in our vicinity. I also live in the area of the Scotts Bluff National Monument. A huge bluff that rises almost 900 feet above the surrounding area. I am not one who would even want to survive the nuclear holocaust. In the event of a nuclear war i just hope I have time to drive to the top of the bluff to watch the show. There will never be another fireworks show like this one.
Who would have though that price gouging by the defence contractor's was a thing? 🤔😅🤣 Welcome to America. Would you like fries with that? How about Super size??
The only thing I can say about implementing newer technology is that there’s always glitches in the gen 1 versions until every single piece of any tech can have the glitches iron out. Considering these missiles are suppose to carry a nuclear payload Northrop Grumman needs to have a perfect QC department.
That background music is a WMD to my ears
Bloody terrible.
Came here to say the same - awful
Agreed it’s so distracting
the old timey ww2 music is worse, but not by much
So distracting!
Hi Simon, absolutely love your videos, thank you so much for them all! Recently the background track volume is getting louder and is super distracting. Any chance of lowering/less impulsive tracks please xxxx
It means that Simon doesn't think his content is interesting enough
unless it's jazzed up with music. It's annoying.
Right, that background music is very distracting
Yeah, this one was almost unwatchable
"Boeing dropped out." PHEW! I've never been so relieved to hear that.
o yeah? what did the last people say oh they got vaporized
@@joeyharris7541 Little boy and fat boy have not been built by Boeing
They are the better choice for military projects most of the time.
"Dropped out," lmfao
At least its not a money grab. We are talking nukes here....NUKES!!!!!
That background music is way too intrusive
Agreed
@@jonparrott3332 Seconded!!
it's also shit music
The only time music is audible to a normal person is during section title segments when its actually played at an audible volume.
@ That is totally incorrect. Sorry.
Please remove the annoying background music!
Sound effects are fine.
🦨💨
Calm down bro your autism is showing 😂😂😂
🦨💨
🦨💨
No.
"The nuclear arms race is like two sworn enemies standing waist deep in gasoline, one with three matches, the other with five" -Carl Sagan
"we're taking you with us" is a more worrying threat than "we can hit you first"
And billions of dollars is spent making new matches because you don't have enough.
It's true, but the genie is out of the bottle. The goal is to reduce nuclear arms numbers and proliferation.
What a quote!
wow thats dumb you thought of that? lol
A note, Simon refers to the fireball of the explosion have a wide area of effect. This is *NOT* the actual fireball, this is the thermal pulse. The fireball of a nuclear explosion is typically fairly small in comparison to the effect of the thermal pulse. The true fireball is typically measured in a few hundred meters for the largest weapons, but the thermal pulse can affect miles/kilometers.
His description combined the effects of a ground strike and an air burst. I guess the writer got confused.
@@joeycampbell940 Must have since airburst detonations don't create fallout. The only way we'll see a surface detonation is if some terrorists get their claws on a warhead. It just isn't tactically or strategically useful even in a MAD scenario since surface detonations sacrifice a lot of AOE damage for the more long-term fallout effects.
Another reason to maintain the silos is that they're a "sponge," meant to soak up some of the enemy's missiles so they have fewer to target large populations.
As well as a deterrant within themselves, if you allow your enemies to see your shiny, polished, well-maintained gear. They are less likely to do anything if they can SEE with their own eyes that you are prepared. Its really a good PR move too, every country in the world can see these silos and see them maintained, and they can also see them not being prepped for immediate action, its a win-win-win to have most of them in full view.
Just what I was thinking. 👍
Given response time and the fact we know if an ICBM so much as shifts in a TEL in Russia due to our superior sat monitoring. It takes 5m from the time the order is given for our ICBMs
To erupt from their silos. Russia or China would be hitting alot of empty silos in corn fields to be truthfully. They have to still target the sponge even if the missiles are launched because they have no way to know that when they push their own button. Hence why indeed our ICBMs can’t ever be used for an initial strike ever. You’ve got to bait the enemy into launching on the silos when the actual nav time per the CIA is actually 33-35mins for their ground launched nukes to hit a target in the USA (whether they could even get off the ground or the warheads would function due to fried electronics due to horrible maintainance is a discussion for later but just a reminder Russias whole defense budget prior to the invasion of Ukraine was at best equal to how much the USA spends on maintaining and upkeep of our Nuclear forces in all three legs which is roughly 52-55B a year per the NDAA)
@@davidjewel1453 Russia will not target silo .Nuclear missiles are used to inflict As much damage as possible to the enemy that means millions of people will die. America drop Nuclear bombs on civilian in Japan and not specified military target . Same thing will happen with ICBM launched .. Get more Knowledge on why Nuclear missiles made .
why would anyone waste missiles on silos? you need to think before you type
The US government out here like pizza hut " within 30 minutes or it's free" 😂
That was Dominos, but yeah. (Sorry mang, it’s the internets, and I couldn’t help it) 😂
@mcarrusa A couple decades ago all the pizza places did that, then dominos was the only one that kept it for a while after then even they dropped it. But you get what I mean.
@@ActuallyJamie That must've been before Papa John's started delivering.
I know this video is about nukes, but the pizza talk is getting me hungry.
5:42 he glossed over _why_ Boeing dropped out, it's because Northrop bought out the only reasonable remaining US company capable of producing the solid rocket fuel engines the ICBMs would need which both firms were planning on using.
I’m not sure that’s it - Northrop supplies the solid fuel booster to the Boeing-Lockheed ULA Vulcan. I suppose it didn’t hurt Northrop. But Boeing and Northrop are major contractors for Lockheed on the F-35, for example. Boeing’s definitely gettin’ a slice of the pie. I’m sure Lockheed is, too.
@@ronjon7942 Northrop's acquisition of Orbital ATK is the reason Boeing provided for dropping out of the contract. They simply would not have been able to compete on cost against Northrop, when Northrop owned the only company that could make ICBMs.
@@hydra70 You’re correct except that Boosters are not ICBMs. It’s a big part but there are other critical components that together with the Boosters make an ICBM.
They should have invited Elon to bid.
@@arclux SpaceX has no experience with solid rocket boosters. If they had bid on the Sentinel program, they would have been buying boosters from Orbital ATK just like Boeing or Northrop would have.
All I can say is thank god Boeing didn't get the contract 😂
Amen
japan said the same thing lol
tbf their military side seems to be doing better than their civilian side. Or the mistakes made on the military side are just better hidden...
I know that their commercial aircraft division has lots of problems, but can the same be said for the division producing defense equipment? Boeing finances the development of commercial aircraft on their own, but Pentagon funds a lot of the development of defense stuff and the people designing missiles are not necessarily sourced from their pool of aircraft designers.
It's what happens when merit & ability are not priorities when hiring people.
As someone who used to guard the minutemen, I'm glad to see them being upgraded. I mean, they're so old that they run on 8 inch floppy discs.😂
Correct me here, aren’t our nukes fusion and produce little fallout because it’s mostly vaporized?
@@y0sarian they are both fission and fusion
@@y0sarian also air bursts produce less fallout than ground bursts as they spread less contamination but cause more destruction
@@StephenMcGregor1986 that’s what I thought, I know it’s a fission to fusion reaction but most of the fallout is vaporized and it’s JUST the destruction, which is worse in a way because it means we could use it and then invade vs it becoming no mans land (thus making their use more likely?) my point was Simon was wrong about the fallout that’s an old misconception.
I was thinking about how old the computer systems some of our defense systems run on are. Suspicions confirmed! 😂
It isn't first strike capability that truly matters.
It's the ability to say "you're coming with us."
Russia has Mutually assured destruction Dead hand system.
Which just takes one bomb. Tsar Bomba almost triggered an atmospheric chain reaction that would have burned away our atmosphere. One bomb twice the size of tsar bomba, no matter where it is detonated on the earths surface, will end our species. The nuclear race should have ended there, but as we can see, governments are still obsessed with the idea of a more tactical deployment of nuclear weapons. If people had any idea how much of the military budget is spent towards maintaining thousands of nuclear weapons, they would have a more negative reaction to this story, which is about spending even more money on nuclear weapons. People still can’t see the our state for what it is, an Autocratic Oligarchical Duopoly, with their own private military that is unaccountable to oversight or international law.
@@Gobbldeegoo1the tsar bomba was not close to igniting the atmosphere. There’s a common consensus that no hypothetical nuclear weapon would be able to do such a thing.
Great work guys, script, speak, edit, all great as usual. I myself prefer the normal music, at a low volume, alternative tracks are fine too, but I prefer when the audio is only distinctly and noticeably audible during title sequences/cards. I enjoy when the background music is atmospheric when fact boy is reading scripts. Otherwise it ends up battling him for attention, just like the overuse of audio filters in videos published many months ago, it's just a bit distracting.
Keep up the good work gals and gents!
"estimated at 77.7 billion dollars"
So...actually 534 billion dollars...got it.
And 4 years after deadline
@@charlesbryson7443 four years?! This the US Government you're referring to. Add six more and maybe you'll see results.
Nuclear deterrent is definitely legit. Look what's happened to those who've gave up their nukes.
yeah their free real estate 😂
@@Lanshark2 Ukraine’s been fighting for two years plus, I’m pretty sure the million plus Russian casualties beg to differ 😢😂
One of the great hypocrisies of the UN status quo. From across Libya, Iraq, and Ukraine on one side, Iran somewhere in the middle, and North Korea, Israel, and Russia on the other there is a clear message: You are free real estate if you don't have nukes and get to walk away with carrying out absurdity against the rules if you do have them or credibly might get them. "But everyone, we know we've made it clear that it is important to own nukes, but please don't seek to own nukes!"
(China/US could go into there somewhere too, but that is muddied by US/China non-nuclear based power.)
@@coop6951 Zelenskyy said it was 180k at most, although there are over a million dead Ukrainians though sadly and many more injured.
"During the press conference on February 25, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also specified that a total of 180,000 Russians have been killed"
Stop lying about the losses it only prolongs and magnifies the death of Ukrainians that are being forced to fight in a pointless war they can never win.
@@coop6951 try more like 10 years the conflict realistically started in 2014
Nothing like a gunless AI tank to start the video off, can’t get any worse than that.. right?
Where we're going, it doesn't need guns (it has nukes).
on the plus side, it's probably road legal
Seriously this jumper needs its own video
"Whats a LGMA?" "A-ligma balls!!"
I'm sorry, I'll leave now ... 😂
I was looking for this comment I thought the exact same thing
There is only one other story teller that is of as high of caliber as you here on RUclips.
And that is Thoughty2!
He’s amazing just as you are!!
I’m so blown away by the incredibly impressive and thoroughly complete presentations you both have!
Just AMAZING!
You two have the most uncanny way of presenting things in an overwhelmingly
Interesting way!
I’ve never seen anything like it!
Wow!!!!
Thank you for this!
It was very informative and educational!
Cheers!!
As I have oft said: the only thing more costly than being prepared for war is not being prepared for war.
So... I don't watch TV, I watch RUclips... Over the Christmas period many creators don't release much so my entertainment has been a bit shit over the past week or so.
Thanks Simon.
Ha, same. RUclips and Rumble, that’s it. And I almost always use tablets. Rarely, I’ll turn on the ‘telly. I bought a tv for my bedroom three months ago - still in the box.
Minot rhymes with why not, hence the old USAF joke, why not Minot.
Freezings the reason
You do realize Simon's British? He doesn't speak American English only British English and that's questionable at best.
Had a buddy who was stationed there. He can tell you why not.
Ya we didn't say it because it rhymed. We said it because it was horrible and guys didn't want those orders to drop. So, when they did and bitched it was tongue in cheek, as in we know it sucks, but why not?
And as someone who used to live in North Dakota, I can assure you, we call it my-not up here, not... minute. 🤔
The background music on this was horrible, and hurt my ears. You don't need it.
Goovey baby, goovey...😂😂😂
Correct, as an avid simon whistler watcher, astrographics/megaprojects/warfront etc lol, better without the music!
@@johndc2998right. We don't need music, just stupid brain boys soothing voice
Me having a.d.d it helps me, keeps my brain from needing something else to do to focus😂
@@Ricky-j8fCan't you wiggle your feet or chew your nails like every other hyperactive person? 😂
In ireland that price equates to a children's hospital, a security hut, a bike shed, a printer, and some e voting machines. The rest was made up by all the enquiries that happened to find out why the government wastes money, but makes sure nobody is held accountable
If Ireland had any sense they would join the EU . Then maybe they could afford those things
I worked on the Minuteman II missile sites back in the '70's. It's been a hell of a successful system. And at about 1/10th the cost of the Titan missile before it. Let's hope the sentinel is as good.
ayoooo been waiting for you to cover this one since I work on this program 😂 now I can just point people to this video when they ask what I do 😎🤘🏼
So defraud the public. Interesting occupation I have been meeting an increasing number of you lately.
Just a friendly reminder. Maintain OPSEC. Do NOT answer anyone’s questions! Be very VERY careful with what you disclose on your channel and in the comments sections.
14:26 price increase "because... Of course" 😂 story of every US defense contract. 😂
Because the bidding system is rigged for the “lowest price”, and it should not be. This is because all of the contractors will race to the bottom, and just like civilian contractors, they make their money on change orders.
It's not just defense. Check out the California HSR project or the SF bay bridge. It's virtually unheard of for a government project of any type to come in on time or under budget.
@@RobertLutece909 Because the jobs are awarded based upon lowest bid. They don’t sell jobs, they buy them.
The video provides a balanced overview of nuclear deterrence and modernization challenges. It's important to evaluate the Sentinel program's overruns alongside its strategic necessity.
Everytime I'm outside and I feel a warm breeze, I say OH shit 😮
SLAYER would be more appropriate music for nuke videos.
Gods of steel unleash their destruction on man
Reign of death, what is the final command?
Scepters of hate are dropped upon this Earth
Clouds of terror destroy all hope of rebirth
Your alma mater invests in security companies; my alma mater invents new nukes. We are not the same. 😱
Plutonium doesn't decay fast enough to need replenishment..... tritium, and other materials.... yes.
Plutonium is meant to develop cracks and defects from internal helium build up. Every random nuclear decay producing an alpha particle adds to the problem over time.
The tritium is the hard part, thats why i do not think 2/3 of Russias deterent work
Why do you guys keep having this problem with the background music louder than the dialog? This has happened several times this year
Five hundred to eight hundred million casualties.
A beautiful site, humans.
Yikes... reading comprehension really isn't a thing with you MAGA folk, eh? First of all, it's five hundred to eight hundred THOUSAND, not five to eight hundred million. Second of all, that's FATALITIES, not casualties. A casualty includes anyone that is killed OR wounded, so casualties would include the two million injured that the commentator cited; i.e. total casualties would be 2.5-2.8 million.
Lmao, seven words and homie manages to absolutely butcher it. Didn't have to put MAGA in your username to make it blatantly obvious you're a Trumper... somehow the right wing manages to attract every American that's dumb as a rock. To be honest, that level of consistency is quite impressive!
@@brianching3565It's only 4 years bro. You'll be okay..
The casualty estimate is... and understatement. If compare to Hiroshima ratio the casualties from 1 missile armed with 3 warheads at 300 kilotons total 13 million.
Awesome geat video comrade
Wait a minute...
Da!
Simons voice is the only music I need❤😂
They'll most likely use Vandenberg Air Force Base California during testing and launching them towards Kwajalein Marshall Islands.
My favorite part of watching Megaprojects is when Simon gets EXCITED about how much the United States spends on weapons. He genuinely looks like a kid on Christmas morning whenever he covers a topic involving how many weapons America has and how much they cost. It’s hilarious.
1:30 - Chapter 1 - Retiring the minutemen
6:00 - Chapter 2 - Delivering the sentinels
10:35 - Chapter 3 - Terryfing warheads
13:50 - Chapter 4 - Critical breach
17:05 - Chapter 5 - The future of the sentinels
The news piece at minute 10 actually explains that the 77.7 billion target was already more than doubled
3:20 Funny for a Brit to call Minutemen “an elite force”
They are still coping 250 years later!
I always love watching these videos that I know all these companies involved and may very well work on in the future
I hope the Senate refuses to confirm Tulsi Gabbard!
Why?
@@steakrules-mp2wf She is about as stable and trust worthy as a jelly desert.
Tulsi gabbard is exactly what this country needs to temper its response the warmonger Democrats need to be kept on their heels so that they don't get us into an unnecessary war and she is the only person of her status that can keep that from happening
@@steakrules-mp2wf she's weak and likes Hawaiian rolls
The reason behind the triad is that an enemy would be reluctant to attack if he had only one or two ways to neutralize or counteract a triad component. This is why the submarine-based weapons are so vitally important, land-based sites are subject to a "First Strike" and aircraft are vulnerable, even stealth.
This was not the right choice for background music
It's interesting to note how much smaller these are than the nuclear bombs of the cold war. Russia's Tsar Bomba test in 1961 was 50,000-kilo tons (50-megatons). It was designed to be a 2-stage, 100-megaton bomb. The 2nd stage was replaced with steel.
USA's biggest test was a mistake. Castle Bravo was intended to produce about 6-megatons. Instead, it was about 15. Both countries fielded 25-megaton bombs. Currently, the most powerful US bomb is the 1.2-megaton (twice yield of this missile) B-83. It has been studied for changing the course of an asteroid expected to collide with the earth.
It was originally three stages they removed the third. All thermonuclear weapons are at least two stages. 😊
I f we found $451 Billions in 2023 alone to support "migrants" - we can certainly find $77 B for the Sentinel program. Just change priority...
When the sound guy is on holiday... ya do what ya can. Still a great video and easily watchable with a little understanding.
We had a replacement for the Minuteman back in the 80s called the MX Peacekeeper. It was briefly shown in the background at one point. It had 10+ warheads and was mobile(-ish). However, it was dealt away in the Strategic Arms Limitation / Reduction Treaties (SALT/START).
You also didn't mention that the new Sentinel will only have one warhead, as opposed to the three warheads on the Minuteman. More warheads per missile has been considered strategically destabilizing, but they do provide increased second strike capability for any surviving missiles. Also, the latest Russian nukes, SS-29 "Satan II/Sarmat", have 16+ warheads/decoys themselves.
Yup. I too cannot wrap my head around that second point.
They are called MIRVs
The Minuteman 3s can carry 3 warheads but all deployed missiles only have one warhead installed per arms treaties, same with Russian ICBMs, they only have one warhead installed. The Sentinel will be able to carry 10 MIRV warheads just like the old Peacekeeper but unless arms treaties change only one warhead will be installed by default. That 10 warhead capacity is per unclassified information disclosed by the Air Force so I suspect the real number is higher. For comparison a Trident II SLBM can carry 10 475kt warheads or 14 300kt warheads.
@@mrvwbug4423 yeah, was like wtf about the technical capacity
Current Minuteman III have single warheads, the MIRVs were removed and single warhead buss installed. Trident II has MIRVs still, but more importantly they need to be replaced with MARVs in both SLBMs and ICBMs. SLBMs are US 2nd Strike weapons, though yes 2 or 3 MARVs per ICBM would bring us more like parity with Russia, they are destablizing.
10:26 if you read it, the original cost was $77.7 billion but they’re saying it’s more likely gonna be in the neighborhood of $140.9B to $160B.
nah man it’ll be more watch
Proud of Simon for getting the h sound from the J in Navajo
Yes, however it's NA-va-Hoe not na-VA-hoe
Another factor that has blown both cost and timeline out that wasn't mentioned is the deteriorated state of many of the existing Minuteman silo.
The majority have been found to require remedial work. Because these issues vary in nature and extent, there is no easy way to contract remediation work, as each silo has different problems.
It beggars belief that nobody was able to foresee that concrete tubes containing a myriad of structural, mechanical and electronic systems may have deteriorated somewhat in the sixty-or-so years that they have been in use...
3:45 MY-NOT
Don’t worry he’s an uncultured swine.
Hate to use unkind midwestern language
2036 good timing.... with the new subs. nice upgrade
Living in a Nuclear wasteland sounds awesome! I wonder if their will be Zombies! :D
Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter!
I'm looking forward to no more fishing license fees
Look at large cities in America. Zombies are already hanging around.
Ok 40 seconds is my limit with that kind of bgm
I can barely hear the background music; any chance you can make it louder?
Sentinel is a befitting name for such a weapon and reputation such caliber
I like it, that the background music annoys others. Please keep it. :)
👏🤣
This brings back memories of my time at Malmstrom Air Force Base. 1987-1991.
The hiro/naga bombs were not only tiny, but only 11-16% of that 15kt material actually fissioned.
actually it was much less. in the Hiroshima bomb maybe 660 grams went thru fission out of a total of 51K. using E=MC2 less than one gram of Uranium by weight was lost and turned into pure energy.
I'm not sure which word Simon murdered most Leonidas or Minot
We need a strong deterrent, for sure. Sponge theory is alright too, but air bases do a much better job of that.
Prompt strike, also pretty good from a tactical perspective... if a little destabilizing ;)
Nuclear submarines just... do it better. They're hidden better, they can get closer to the enemy, and they're not really much more expensive than modernizing all the silos.
True but that maybe changing soon... Satellites that can detect submarines are on the way. Just a matter of time. And as quickly as things progress nowadays I would not be surprised to see them exist in my lifetime.
@@Shoelessjoe78 yeah and when the US or Elon makes them it will take other countries decades to steal our intelligence
Not mentioned is that the land-based part of the Triad is supposed to be a "missile sponge" for adversary warheads. That's why the sites are well known - almost advertised.
Minute mAn Simon. Not minute min. Superman, not supermin. Fireman, not firemin. Damn royalists
A suitably responsive missile system is always desirable, but one that is too responsive could lead to a premature release.
It is downright scary how inept the US military industrial base has become. China is now building 100 medium and large yield nukes each year. That used to be easy for the USA, and with old technology. The MX Missiles had a CEP of 40 meters with internal guidance alone, no GPS needed. The missile was jam proof. None of the newer US ICBMs or SLBMs are that accurate. Also, it shouldn't take ten years just to build a uranium plant. It took 2 years to build one during WWII with ancient technology. This lack of manufacturing ability is the result of too much intrusive bureaucracy and way too much interference from investment class scoundrels.
The main part is ensuring their launches can’t be blocked by cypher-attack, sabotage, or destruction of communications infrastructure.
Installing quantum-sensor navigation to replace GPS will ensure their guidance systems can’t be interfered with or blocked.
World: "Stop pretending to be the world police!"
US: "Okay, I'm gonna go fishing, but if anything bad happens to you, remember, you were the one who told me to leave. *leaves*"
*big bad dictator comes along*
World: "Oh no, I deleted the US's number from my phone. Ugh, maybe if we asked the dictator nicely, they won't conquer us."
Plot twist the dictator is the US or it's puppet. Lol. Stay blind us bootlicker.
A discussion of the game theory, ABM treaty, intermediate range treaty would be interesting. How did people in the 50s and 60s take steps to avoid an exchange, and why are those safeguards removed today?
Secret launch code. The first launch code was revealed. It was '000000'. Hopefully it has been changed.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
8:34 I can see "УРОВЕНЬ" behind the ladder ;-) that's a picture of a Russian launch silo.
Why so much AI?
Money..... stock photos cost money.
@specracer28 Most of their past videos that I have watched had stock photos
I remember moving to Tracy ca in 92, you ised to be able to hear bomb testing from the lab in the hills
Did you use an AI generated image at the start of the video? For shame!
I hope he doesn't make this a regular thing 😅 something about ai make people's content look and feel cheap.
the algo is strong with this one
Here when it dropped.
Same
Omg! Someone saw a video when it came out. That's amazing. I'm glad you let us know about this amazing occurrence. Everyone was curious.
I’m not sure 78 billion was enough for this project in the first place considering the scale of it. New missile, but also new launch facilities, new materials, new capabilities in a missile
Can't hear what you're saying over the horrible music.
Out of concern, I’d suggest a hearing test.
Such work is put in to your videos..whose idea was it to ruin it with the “music?”
Please stop using AI pics
😭🦨💨
Why
It's cringe
@@rwd01.0because it costs humans artists work
decommissioning Peacekeeper was a mistake
Stop complaining about AI generated images, It will never stop it'll get more advanced and more common
Well when it's advanced enough there won't be anything to complain about, but at the moment there's some valid complaints...
@@European-Man-88 Who cares its his video stop whining.
Can we keep complaining about the bgm? 😂
Enjoyed this
77 Billion? So just a small portion of what we've absolutely WASTED in and on Ukraine. Got it.
Can I ask you something? Do you genuinely think the us government sends them straight up currency? Or what do you think those billions consist of, what makes up that dollar amount? I'm genuinely curious as to what you think it is.
@@Shxlbyyywe need to stay out of it… but a lot of it is direct money laundering… munitions and etc
Wasted? We merely allowed old ammunition and vehicles to do what they were built to do hold back the Soviets sorry, I meant Russians
The information gained alone on how even aging western equipment fairs against Russian equipment and tactics make the perceived $ cost fully worth it. And having a testing ground like that to see the effectiveness of things like drones is invaluable in a preparation and readiness sense. Also allowing Putin to steam roll would just embolden him to take further violent action. It also drains Russia’s ability to make war the longer it lasts. The war is terrible. To call the support a waist is ignorant
@Shxlbyyy do you think the stuff they send to ukraine doesnt get replaced by new equipment and the US taxpayer doesnt pay for the replacements? You realize a piece of equipment given away at its full value when built is roughly 2x more expensive to replace currently right? So if we give them a Bradley, it will cost the US taxpayer significantly more to replace it with current tech equipment at current prices.... Why cant you people understand this? Its a very simple concept and it is based in absolute fact....
The background music is way too silent. I still can hear Simon 🤣
To withdraw the nuclear umbrella from US allies would bring big problems. One of them is that all of this allies are able to build their own nuclear weapons.
Actually, this is a continuation of/ replacement of/ upgrade of the Minuteman System. It works. It's Old. Replace/ Upgrade.
Nice sweater
Ww3 is going to actually happen and moving to Antarctica is a good idea 😂
I live right in the area that is controlled by the aforementioned F.E. Warren Air Base. We have 168 missile silos in our vicinity. I also live in the area of the Scotts Bluff National Monument. A huge bluff that rises almost 900 feet above the surrounding area. I am not one who would even want to survive the nuclear holocaust. In the event of a nuclear war i just hope I have time to drive to the top of the bluff to watch the show. There will never be another fireworks show like this one.
i hope you feel better sir
Who would have though that price gouging by the defence contractor's was a thing? 🤔😅🤣
Welcome to America.
Would you like fries with that? How about Super size??
Doge should figure that out, 😂
You failed to explain the role of DSP in making MAD impractical
It is Wirth the cost.That was Oak Ridge Tennessee building new nuclear production facilities.
Loving the music 🥰
This video missed something - a single ICBM can carry multiple nuclear warheads. Meaning one missile can strike several targets.
The only thing I can say about implementing newer technology is that there’s always glitches in the gen 1 versions until every single piece of any tech can have the glitches iron out.
Considering these missiles are suppose to carry a nuclear payload Northrop Grumman needs to have a perfect QC department.
They need electronics made I. America, too. I wouldn’t trust them to come from China.