§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what account his Department takes of the relationship between megatonnage and destructive effect when assessing warheads of different explosive yields. [24600]
§ Mr. George RobertsonAssessments of our deterrence requirements take into account a range of factors that might affect the destructive effect that would result from the use of a nuclear weapon, including the explosive yield.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's assessment of the comparative explosive yields of the warheads currently carried on strategic ballistic missiles deployed by Russia relative to those deployed in the 1960s. [24593]
§ Mr. George RobertsonBy the end of the 1960s, we assess the Russian strategic ballistic missile force comprised (approximately) 1,050 single warhead Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) with a total yield of 1,380 megatonnes (Mt), and 215 single warhead Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) with a total yield of 395 Mt. The total explosive yield of both was 1,775 Mt.
By contrast, in 1997, the Russian strategic ballistic missile force comprised (approximately) 755 ICBMs with single and multiple (3,580) warheads giving a total yield of 2,330 Mt, and 524 SLBMs with multiple (2,314) warheads giving a total yield of 670 Mt. The total explosive yield of both was 3,000 Mt.