RB-57D flies near a nuclear test during Operation Hardtack I

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Whats wild to me is that they intended strategic bombers to literally nuke their way through Soviet air defenses en route to the target. Can you imagine being that pilot and seeing blasts like that all around as you head for Moscow? It would've been the most disturbingly beautiful sight.

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justlurkshere@reddit

There are some good books written on the cold war and how the strategies evolved on the use of nukes.

One scary discovery was that it took them multipole iterations (years) of the SIOP to discover that one mission might nuke another mission on it's way to another target.

The other thing they took years to find out was that how ROE for nuke release was then they ended up with more remote bases/detachments having the authority to drop nukes down to majors in the USAF.

Fun times.

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Kuso_Megane14@reddit

Even wilder than that in my opinion was the Anti Air missiles that were equipped with a nuke warhead, because why bother intercepting dozens of bombers with a lot of interceptor aircraft when you can send a couple of those in the middle of strategic bombers formation and let kaboom do the thing

Sucks that ballistic missiles eventually ruined the competition XD

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HumpyPocock@reddit

Yes indeed, and ditto early 1960s.

Earlier comment of mine — it was pointed out that DOMINIC HOUSATONIC on 30 Oct 1962 was only just post Cuban Missile Crisis, and figured I’d cross reference the US/USSR test dates for temporal proximity and uhh well they sure as fuck got proximate…

I’d never made that connection.

~~Counterpoint tho, tests weren’t stopped FOR the Cuban Missile Crisis, why stop AFTER the Cuban Missile Crisis (/s)~~

OK, pulled up the (traditional) 16–28 Oct 1962 range bracketing the Cuban Missile Crisis and okie dokie so it looks like both of them just plowed right the fuck on thru with atmospheric tests…

re: SOVIET UNION

• CODE N°182 on 20 Oct ⟶ 6.7 kT\ • CODE N°183 on 22 Oct ⟶ 8200 kT\ • CODE N°185 on 27 Oct ⟶ 260 kT

re: UNITED STATES

• CHAMA on 18 Oct ⟶ 1590 kT Yield\ • CHECKMATE on 19 Oct ⟶ XXX kT Yield (photo) • BLUEGILL TRIPLE PRIME on 25 Oct ⟶ XX kT Yield (photo) • CALAMITY on 27 Oct ⟶ 800 kT Yield

Quote via NSARCHIVE

… SOP also meant, on October 27, that both the US and the USSR would go right ahead with their scheduled atmospheric nuclear tests. US test, codenamed Calamity in the Dominic series, airdropped an 800 kT device at Johnston Island in the Pacific. Soviet test, codenamed 192, dropped a 260 kT device at Novaya Zemlya. Neither White House nor Soviet Presidium records seem to notice …

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KountZero@reddit

I watched a video last week about the “nuclear double flash,” and ever since then, I can’t help but notice it every time I see footage of a nuclear explosion.

Here’s a fun fact: the nuclear double flash is such a distinctive phenomenon that nothing else on Earth produces the same signature. It happens because the initial intense burst of light from the fireball quickly dims by the shockwave as it expands and cools , followed by a second, slightly longer-lasting flash as the fireball continues to grow and becomes transparent again.

This unique pattern is so reliable that scientists developed specialized instruments called bhangmeters specifically to detect and track nuclear detonations by sensing this double flash.

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wawoodwa@reddit

Hopefully they discussed this in the video:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_incident

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PennyG@reddit

If I didn’t want to get banned from a fun sub, I’d make a joke about OP’s mom and bhangmeters.

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Lumpy-Vacation-9097@reddit

Back when our grandparents had balls of lead

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lyfe_Wast3d@reddit

This photography seems unreal for that time frame

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Te_Luftwaffle@reddit

Film has an inherently higher resolution than digital

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Some1-Somewhere@reddit

Film can be remarkably good when the originals are re-scanned in modern times. It's the copying and the projectors that tended to be terrible, and to a lesser extent lighting and lenses.

Film still delivers better dynamic range than all but the best digital.

Military footage of a nuke test? Blank check for the cameras, I would expect.

See e.g. this footage of a Saturn V launch from on the pad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtVpvzUF1Y

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ougryphon@reddit

This appears to be shot Poplar, a 9.3 MT surface detonation. For a detonation that size, the fireball is several miles across, giving some scale to how distant the plane is.

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KarmaDeliveryMan@reddit

This guy sciences

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Difficult_Limit2718@reddit

WHO TOOK THE VIDEO?

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stewieatb@reddit

Wing Commander "Nottie" Zactly-Trew flying a Canberra.

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Jacobi2878@reddit (OP)

where did you find this? I have been searching for more information

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stewieatb@reddit

Say the words "Nottie Zactly-Trew" out loud for me.

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Jacobi2878@reddit (OP)

yeah..

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stewieatb@reddit

It's a joke. A near homonym for "Not exactly true", which the RAF Luton twitter account uses as a fake name. RAF Luton also refers to all its photos as "taken from a Canberra" even when this is clearly untrue.

Nevertheless, the RB-57D is the USAF designation for the English Electric Canberra. So while I was kidding, this video probably was taken from another Canberra.

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Jacobi2878@reddit (OP)

It was 5 in the morning at the time of my reply, which is my excuse for missing the joke. Upon second reading I realised my mistake. I am not exaggerating when I say that my comment missing the joke was my last waking thought of the day.

The RB-57 was a variant of the Canberra designed by General Dynamics for reconnaissance, the B-57 was the unmodified license produced variant.

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Sixshot_@reddit

RAF Luton military aviation history archives

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Jacobi2878@reddit (OP)

ok in my defence it was 5 am

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lindsayw54@reddit

His cousin Major Bluey Zarsoff was the ground observer.

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KronoTOC@reddit

Must've felt the heat in the cockpit

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General-Pool-8817@reddit

thats the coolest shot i have seen

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Initial_Scarcity_609@reddit

What an adorable tiny nuclear explosion.

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Dapper-Raise1410@reddit

Wasn't this footage part of the opening credits for 1998 Godzilla?

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CampaignSpirited2819@reddit

Excuse my ignorance ignorance on the matter but is that considered Surface Detonation? therefore there is no EMP?

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Newsdriver245@reddit

Interestingly, the official record of Hardtack says the USAF technical photography flight was composed of 2 RB-50 planes and the aerial photo element was 3 c54's. Nothing mentions RB-57s specifically.

Were they still pretty classified at that time period?

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CardinalsDelendaEst@reddit

This post is Fallout pilled.

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Healter-Skelter@reddit

thats kind of like looking at a video of a fighter jet and saying “this is Top Gun pilled”

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exposed_anus@reddit

Them fish had it coming

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NassauTropicBird@reddit

I've always thought the wing tanks looked funny on those, what with the way they're at the tips but still under the wing. That never fails to catch my eye.

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Hullo_Its_Pluto@reddit

I have never payed attention to that. Thanks

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InitechSecurity@reddit

Captain Bro was like, aftershock coming this way, should I make a right turn? Nah we good..

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RestaurantFamous2399@reddit

Was probably supposed to fly straight and level. Had to fight every being in his body to not turn away.

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gistya@reddit

I often think these "tests" were really a war against carp.

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Jacobi2878@reddit (OP)

I was also able to find another shot of the same aircraft presumably a few minutes later flying by the aftermath of the explosion: https://dissolve.com/video/Hardtack-Poplar-thermonuclear-test-rights-managed-stock-video-footage/002-D30-46-025

I wasn't able to find the original continuous reel (or a better source for the second one) so if anyone knows where I can find either of those please do share

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