HL Deb 14 July 1997 vol 581 cc92-3WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they consider that the US Air Force's plans to test-drop B61–11 earth penetrating bombs from a B-2, as part of a series aimed at defining the repackaged nuclear weapon's aero-ballistic dispersion patterns, are compatible with the spirit of the nuclear test ban.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty bans nuclear weapon test explosions and any other nuclear explosions. It does not place any constraints on tests of bombs which do not involve such explosions.