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{{Infobox nukes
{{Infobox
|country_name=[[Arthurista]]
| above  =Arthurista
|image_location= Arthurista in Cornellia map.png
| image  =  
|program_start=1942
| label1  = Nuclear program start date
|last_test=1984
| data1  =1944
|largest_yield= 1.2 {{wp|TNT equivalent|Mt}}, 1963
| label2  = First nuclear weapon test
|total_tests= 52
| data2  =1949
|first_test= 1945
| label3  = First fusion weapon test
|first_fusion= 1954
| data3  =1963
|peak_stockpile= ~510 (c. 1971, strategic only)
| label4  = Last nuclear test
|current_stockpile= ~330 active
| data4  = 1971
|current_usable_stockpile=  
| label5  = Largest yield test
|current_usable_stockpile_megatonnage=
| data5  = 3MT
|maximum_range= 10,000+ km (current), 'theoretically unlimited' ([[Blueflash|FOBS]], 1970s-1980s)
| label6  = Total tests
|NPT_signatory=
| data6  = 7
| label7  = Peak stockpile
| data7  = Unknown
| label8  = Current stockpile
| data8  = 330
| label9  =
| data9  =
| label10 =
| data10  =  
}}
}}


The [[Commonwealth Defence Forces]] are known to possess nuclear and chemical weaponry. According to information released by the Arthuristan Ministry of Defence to arms control organisationsas of 2017, the number of warheads in active service is 330, of which 288 are considered to be 'strategic' weapons.  
The [[Commonwealth Defence Forces]] are known to possess nuclear and chemical weaponry. According to information released by the Arthuristan Ministry of Defence to arms control organisationsas of 2017, the number of warheads in active service is 330, all of which have a maximum yield of 150 kilotons.  


==First efforts: 1940s-1960s==
==First efforts: 1940s-1960s==


Arthurista tested its first atomic bomb, a gun-type uranium-based fission device with a yield of 15 kiloton known as ''''Red Rivet'''', in the last weeks of the [[Great Fascist War]]. A second, identical device was intended to be dropped at a site just off-shore of the Fascist capital of Kingston to intimidate the last remnants of its forces into an unconditional surrender, but in the event it was not needed as the city was successfully stormed.  
Arthurista tested its first atomic bomb, a gun-type uranium-based fission device with a yield of 15 kiloton known as ''''Blue Rivet'''', in 1947. It was regarded more as a physics experiment on a grand scale than an actual weapon of war.


Arthurista mastered the capability to build implosion-based weapons in 1947. Over the next few years, atomic weapons of between 10-30 kilotons were manufactured in small batches at a leisurely pace, featuring non-standardsed 'physics packages' hand-assembled by skilled technicians. These heavy bombs were only capable of being carried by large strategic bombers, and the main carriers for these early weapons was the {{wp|Victory Bomber}}, later replaced by the jet-powered {{wp|Short Sperrin|Sperrin}} and finally, the [[Continental Imperator]], of which 160 were procured. It was estimated that Arthurista possessed a stockpile of over 90 atomic weapons by 1951. All of these 'artisan' bombs would later be dismantled and their fissile material re-used for newer generations of weapons.  
Arthurista mastered the capability to build implosion-based weapons in 1948. Over the next decade, atomic weapons of between 10-30 kilotons were manufactured in small batches at a leisurely pace, featuring non-standardsed 'physics packages' hand-assembled by skilled technicians. These various marks of heavy bombs, known by code names such as 'Red Rose', 'Red Summer', 'Red Mountain' and 'Red Pine', were only capable of being carried by large strategic bombers of the [[Commonwealth Air Force]], and the main carriers for these early weapons was the {{wp|Victory Bomber}}, later replaced by the jet-powered {{wp|Short Sperrin|Sperrin}} and finally, the [[Continental Imperator]], of which 160 were procured. It was estimated that Arthurista possessed a stockpile of over 90 atomic weapons by 1957. All of these 'artisan' bombs would later be dismantled and their fissile material re-used for newer generations of weapons.  


It was not until the 1953 that the ''''Red Shoe'''', a standardised casing light enough to be carried by both bombers and tactical fighters, weighing 750kg with a variable-yield fission warhead of up to 60 kiloton, entered mass production.  
It was not until the 1958 that the ''''Red Shoe'''', a standardised casing light enough to be carried by both bombers and tactical fighters, weighing 750kg with a variable-yield fission warhead of up to 60 kiloton, entered mass production. In 1963, bombers began to deploy with the '''[[ACM-3 Bune]]''' stand-off nuclear missile, significantly enhancing their survivability in the face of increasingly capable counter-air technology then gradually coming into service around the world.


Meanwhile, theoretical and experimental work towards creating a fusion-device continued apace. However, initially, there was little effort to develop such weapons, with both the military and political establishment believing that the existing fission bombs constituted a sufficient deterrent. The political decision to  create thermonuclear weapons of real military utility was not made until 1956, prompted by the fact that purely fission weapons become prohibitively expensive to 'scale' up to larger blast yields, due to their consumption of large quantities of valuable fissile materiel for which far more productive uses could be found, such as fuelling power plants or naval vessels.  
Meanwhile, theoretical and experimental work towards creating a fusion-device continued apace. However, initially, there was little effort to develop such weapons, with both the military and political establishment believing that the existing fission bombs constituted a sufficient deterrent. The political decision to  create thermonuclear weapons of real military utility was not made until 1963, prompted by the fact that purely fission weapons become prohibitively expensive to 'scale' up to larger blast yields, due to their consumption of large quantities of valuable fissile materiel for which far more productive uses could be found, such as fuelling power plants or naval vessels.  


Fortunately, the theoretical and experimental groundwork for the creation of miniaturised thermonuclear weapons had already been laid earlier, albeit languishing unused until then. In 1961, the '[[Red Hammer]]', a one tonne device with variants yielding from 0.5kt to 150 kt, and which could be carried by small fighters as well as heavy bombers, reached operational status and became the standard Arthuristan free-fall bomb. In 1963, bombers began to deploy with the '''[[ACM-3 Bune]]''' stand-off nuclear missile, significantly enhancing their survivability in the face of increasingly capable counter-air technology then gradually coming into service around the world.
Fortunately, the theoretical and experimental groundwork for the creation of miniaturised thermonuclear weapons had already been laid earlier, albeit languishing unused until then. In 1967, the '[[Red Hammer]]', yielding from 10kt to 150 kt, and which could be carried by small fighters as well as heavy bombers, was successfully tested and from 1968 became the standard Arthuristan nuclear warhead, replacing all earlier types.


==Towards minimum credible strategic deterrence==
==Current nuclear posture==


By the early-60's, it was increasingly realised that a nuclear deterrence, based purely on bombers based in the open, was potentially vulnerable to a first strike. Realising that the costs associated with maintaining a fully-capable nuclear triad was unsustainable, the Ministry of Defence decided to migrate Arthurista's main strategic deterrence towards the least-vulnerable option, i.e. a submarine-based configuration. The focus of Arthuristan planners had evolved into emphasising the retention of a guaranteed 'second-strike' capability, in order to deter a first-strike by assuring the ability to impose a cost unacceptable to a potential aggressor in retaliation simultaneously to three of its most powerful potential adversaries. This spurred the development of the [[Reprisal-class submarine]] and the [[Bluemoon]] missile. Initially armed with a single high-yield warhead, improved SLBM's were soon available, incorporating MIRV technology and the 150kt [[Red Goblin]] warhead which, alongside the Red Hammer, remains one of Arthurista's two nuclear weapons to this day.  
Arthurista's strategic weapons arsenal is largely configured to deter regional threats. It is based around the CAF's remaining fleet of 120 [[Continental Imperator]] strategic bombers which, together with the service's aerial refueller aircraft, constitutes the totality of Arthurista's strategic and tactical nuclear strike force.


Currently, the main weapon deployed by the CDF is the [[Bluesun]] SLBM, which are deployed on [[Commonwealth Navy (Arthurista)|Commonwealth Navy]]'s four [[Styx Class]] ballistic missile submarines. Eliminating a land-based ICBM force also disincentivises an opponent from attempting a counterforce first-strike against mainland Arthurista.
The actual deployment of Bomber Command is not knowable by any degree of certainty through open source information. It is widely known that the fleet of bombers rotate through a tri-yearly cycle, whereby every year one third of the bombers are on maintenance or training, one third are retained to support the tactical air forces with conventional weapons, and one third are on nuclear alert, together with a similar portion of the CAF's refuellers.  


In order to provide Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD), one of the four are always on patrol in peacetime, and there is a 50% chance that one additional boat is at sea at any given moment. Of the others in dock, one is undergoing maintenance/repair, with another on 'extended alert' or shore-side training. In wartime, the number of boats continuously at sea can be increased to three, although this may be detrimental to force readiness in the post-crisis period.
In peacetime, it is known that certain flights, or even up to one to two squadrons of those aircraft which are nuclear-armed are on 5-15 minute alerts at any given time. This is to minimise the probability that a first strike would be able to eliminate the entirety of Arthurista's retaliatory capability. In times of tension, the number of aircraft on alert could be significantly increased, and the alert times reduced, perhaps to one minute for some flights.


Arthurista has a longstanding qualified 'no first-use' policy, undertaking that it will not initiate the exchange of weapons of massed destruction outside of the Arthuristan mainland.  
Individual flights of bombers and refuellers are scattered in airfields around Arthurista, thereby further minimising the chances that a 'knockout blow' could be struck via a first strike.


The CAF Bomber Command has maintained a small fleet of long range bombers. Although their current primary roles are maritime strike and long range tactical interdiction, they also retain their secondary role as delivery vehicles for strategic nuclear weapons using long-range cruise missiles or air-launched ballistic missiles. In an emergency, they will disperse into a number of pre-designated airbases, and certain squadrons would maintain a 24-hour aerial patrol, awaiting the signal to attack. They also have a tactical nuclear delivery role.
Arthurista has a longstanding qualified 'no first-use' policy, undertaking that it will not initiate the exchange of weapons of massed destruction outside of the Arthuristan mainland. This also means that it has a purely 'countervalue' targeting policy. As Arthurista would have already sustained a first strike, with commensurate civilian casualties, planners believe that there was little point in attacking nuclear weapons which have already 'flown the coop' and accordingly they have no qualms about orienting their entire target list purely on Valgtean population centres.  


==Current nuclear strategy==
The sole warhead in use is the [[Red Hammer]], as either a free-fall tactical weapon (i.e. the 'Red Hammer Prime') or in its strategic form it is installed on board the [[ACM-1 Cerberus]] cruise missile, which has a range of 3,600km in its nuclear configuration. The maximum yield of both variants is 150 kilotons. An Imperator B.3 can carry a maximum of six Cerberus cruise missiles externally, with the bomb bay being used to carry additional fuel.
 
While [[Bluesun]] is certainly accurate enough for a counterforce first strike, the small quantity available dictates its use primarily as a countervalue weapon, used to threaten a potential aggressor's population centres. Arthuristan planners determined that, by the time a retaliatory second strike is to be launched, most of the enemy's strategic weapons would have 'flown the coop', rendering an attack on them pointless. Rather, the Arthuristan strategic arsenal would be used to systematically demolish the enemy nation itself. As the entire weight of Arthurista's strategic armaments is to be concentrated on cities, rather than divided between military and strategic targets, this allows a relatively small and inexpensive inventory of warheads and delivery system to achieve the same destructive effect (and thus deterrence effect) a much larger stock of nuclear weapons can inflict on strategic targets.
 
The stance of minimal deterrence was vividly described in 1985 by Rear Admiral Sir Charles Worthy, C-in-C Submarine Force, as follows:
 
{{quotation|''"We no longer possess the capability to wipe out three of our most potent adversaries five times over, as we did ten years ago, even if they retain the ability to wipe us out five times over. All we require in order to deter a preemptive strike is the capacity to exact unacceptable cost but once. Everything above and beyond is gratuitous and wasteful overkill which is thoroughly unfair to the taxpayer."''}}
 
This strategy is, naturally, highly controversial, though Arthuristan strategists and lawyers attempted to justify a plan premised entirely upon an attack on the enemy's civil population by positing that, after a first strike, densely-populated Arthurista would have suffered catastrophic civilian casualties in any case, regardless of whether these first strike weapons were aimed at military forces or deliberately targeted at cities, hence rendering the follow up Arthuristan strike a proportionate retaliatory measure.
 
It is notable that, of the enemy's population centres, only the very largest would be attacked, and the fact that they are targeted in the first place is much more due to political reasons rather than strictly military ones. It is envisaged that the bulk of Arthurista's warheads would instead be used to destroy ports, transportation hubs such as nodes of railways and motorways, as well as irradiating the enemy's agricultural areas with {{Wp|cobalt bomb}}s, rendering them unusable for decades. The intended effects of this plan of attack is to maximise the effect of Arthurista's relatively small strategic arsenal by rendering the enemy nation unable to grow, transport or import food, thereby starving to death the majority of its populations without the need to directly target the smaller urban areas.
 
==Tactical nuclear weapons==
 
The aforementioned 'no-first-use' rule deliberately left unstated the position regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons on the Arthuristan mainland. The use of tactical weapons in a defensive campaign against an invader has featured heavily in Arthuristan military theory since the 1960s. Their use in such a scenario is regarded as an issue for the military, rather than a purely political matter. Rules for their release are much looser and often left at the hands of relatively junior officers, commanders of divisions or even brigades. This is based on two assumptions. Firstly, it adds an element of unpredictability as to whether they might be used to counter a large-scale invasion, especially if, inevitably, higher headquarters are 'decapitated' by precision strikes in the course of high-intensity fighting. The army believes this unpredictability contributes towards their value in deterring a potential invader. Secondly, it demonstrates the confidence of Arthuristan strategists in the relative invulnerability of its submarine-based second strike capability and its value in deterring escalation to the strategic level by its ability to hold the enemy's homeland hostage.
 
Tactical nuclear weapons are ground-launched or air-launched. Corps commanders have access to the [[ACM-11 Lucifer]] {{wp|theatre ballistic missile}}s, whereas at the Army-level the [[ACM-7 Astaroth]] {{wp|MRBM}} and the [[ACM-1 Cerberus]] long range cruise missile. Air-launched tactical nuclear weapons are primarily carried by fighter-bombers.  


==Command and control==
==Command and control==


The command and control of Arthuristan nuclear weapons is notoriously simple. The commander of the submarine will order a missile launch upon receipt of a clear order to do so. Alternatively, where it is known that the nation has come under nuclear attack (there are tests which must be performed in order to confirm this state of affairs, such as whether a number of designated civilian radio channels are still broadcasting), and that no order has come from above, such as in the event that the nation's military and political leadership has been 'decapitated', the commander opens his sealed  '{{wp|Letters of last resort|Letter of Last Resort}}', written by the Prime Minister on his/her first day in office, containing instructions on whether to retaliate, to refrain from doing so, or to place his or her vessel under the command of an allied navy.  
The command and control of Arthuristan nuclear weapons is notoriously simple. The commander of the airbase will order a scramble upon receipt of a clear order to do so.  


{{wp|Permissive Action Link}}s are not used by the Arthuristan military. The submarine captain can easily effectuate a launch with the assistance of his executive officer and a few members of the crew. Tactical nuclear warheads are armed with a key, which is inserted into a lock "not dissimilar to those used to prevent bicycles from theft" according to one journalist.
{{wp|Permissive Action Link}}s are not used by the Arthuristan military. The airfield commander can easily effectuate an irrevocable scramble with the assistance of his executive officer and a few members of the crew. Tactical nuclear warheads are armed with a key, which is inserted into a lock "not dissimilar to those used to prevent bicycles from theft" according to one journalist.


==Chemical and biological weapons==
==Chemical and biological weapons==

Latest revision as of 01:13, 19 December 2020

Arthurista
Nuclear program start date1944
First nuclear weapon test1949
First fusion weapon test1963
Last nuclear test1971
Largest yield test3MT
Total tests7
Peak stockpileUnknown
Current stockpile330

The Commonwealth Defence Forces are known to possess nuclear and chemical weaponry. According to information released by the Arthuristan Ministry of Defence to arms control organisationsas of 2017, the number of warheads in active service is 330, all of which have a maximum yield of 150 kilotons.

First efforts: 1940s-1960s

Arthurista tested its first atomic bomb, a gun-type uranium-based fission device with a yield of 15 kiloton known as 'Blue Rivet', in 1947. It was regarded more as a physics experiment on a grand scale than an actual weapon of war.

Arthurista mastered the capability to build implosion-based weapons in 1948. Over the next decade, atomic weapons of between 10-30 kilotons were manufactured in small batches at a leisurely pace, featuring non-standardsed 'physics packages' hand-assembled by skilled technicians. These various marks of heavy bombs, known by code names such as 'Red Rose', 'Red Summer', 'Red Mountain' and 'Red Pine', were only capable of being carried by large strategic bombers of the Commonwealth Air Force, and the main carriers for these early weapons was the Victory Bomber, later replaced by the jet-powered Sperrin and finally, the Continental Imperator, of which 160 were procured. It was estimated that Arthurista possessed a stockpile of over 90 atomic weapons by 1957. All of these 'artisan' bombs would later be dismantled and their fissile material re-used for newer generations of weapons.

It was not until the 1958 that the 'Red Shoe', a standardised casing light enough to be carried by both bombers and tactical fighters, weighing 750kg with a variable-yield fission warhead of up to 60 kiloton, entered mass production. In 1963, bombers began to deploy with the ACM-3 Bune stand-off nuclear missile, significantly enhancing their survivability in the face of increasingly capable counter-air technology then gradually coming into service around the world.

Meanwhile, theoretical and experimental work towards creating a fusion-device continued apace. However, initially, there was little effort to develop such weapons, with both the military and political establishment believing that the existing fission bombs constituted a sufficient deterrent. The political decision to create thermonuclear weapons of real military utility was not made until 1963, prompted by the fact that purely fission weapons become prohibitively expensive to 'scale' up to larger blast yields, due to their consumption of large quantities of valuable fissile materiel for which far more productive uses could be found, such as fuelling power plants or naval vessels.

Fortunately, the theoretical and experimental groundwork for the creation of miniaturised thermonuclear weapons had already been laid earlier, albeit languishing unused until then. In 1967, the 'Red Hammer', yielding from 10kt to 150 kt, and which could be carried by small fighters as well as heavy bombers, was successfully tested and from 1968 became the standard Arthuristan nuclear warhead, replacing all earlier types.

Current nuclear posture

Arthurista's strategic weapons arsenal is largely configured to deter regional threats. It is based around the CAF's remaining fleet of 120 Continental Imperator strategic bombers which, together with the service's aerial refueller aircraft, constitutes the totality of Arthurista's strategic and tactical nuclear strike force.

The actual deployment of Bomber Command is not knowable by any degree of certainty through open source information. It is widely known that the fleet of bombers rotate through a tri-yearly cycle, whereby every year one third of the bombers are on maintenance or training, one third are retained to support the tactical air forces with conventional weapons, and one third are on nuclear alert, together with a similar portion of the CAF's refuellers.

In peacetime, it is known that certain flights, or even up to one to two squadrons of those aircraft which are nuclear-armed are on 5-15 minute alerts at any given time. This is to minimise the probability that a first strike would be able to eliminate the entirety of Arthurista's retaliatory capability. In times of tension, the number of aircraft on alert could be significantly increased, and the alert times reduced, perhaps to one minute for some flights.

Individual flights of bombers and refuellers are scattered in airfields around Arthurista, thereby further minimising the chances that a 'knockout blow' could be struck via a first strike.

Arthurista has a longstanding qualified 'no first-use' policy, undertaking that it will not initiate the exchange of weapons of massed destruction outside of the Arthuristan mainland. This also means that it has a purely 'countervalue' targeting policy. As Arthurista would have already sustained a first strike, with commensurate civilian casualties, planners believe that there was little point in attacking nuclear weapons which have already 'flown the coop' and accordingly they have no qualms about orienting their entire target list purely on Valgtean population centres.

The sole warhead in use is the Red Hammer, as either a free-fall tactical weapon (i.e. the 'Red Hammer Prime') or in its strategic form it is installed on board the ACM-1 Cerberus cruise missile, which has a range of 3,600km in its nuclear configuration. The maximum yield of both variants is 150 kilotons. An Imperator B.3 can carry a maximum of six Cerberus cruise missiles externally, with the bomb bay being used to carry additional fuel.

Command and control

The command and control of Arthuristan nuclear weapons is notoriously simple. The commander of the airbase will order a scramble upon receipt of a clear order to do so.

Permissive Action Links are not used by the Arthuristan military. The airfield commander can easily effectuate an irrevocable scramble with the assistance of his executive officer and a few members of the crew. Tactical nuclear warheads are armed with a key, which is inserted into a lock "not dissimilar to those used to prevent bicycles from theft" according to one journalist.

Chemical and biological weapons

Arthurista built a stockpile of chemical weapons between the 50s-70s, mainly GB and VX nerve agents intended for use as tactical weapons. The program was accelerated in the wake of the Tempesta War. This policy was reversed in 1984, when a unilateral moratorium on the development of chemical weapons was declared and in subsequent decades the stockpile was reduced by more than 80%. Successive governments have reaffirmed the commitment to fully eliminate the stockpile by 2030 at the latest, though leaked plans from the Ministry of Defence may suggest that the elimination process has been paused since the mid-2000s. Presumably, the aforementioned undertaking to not initiate an exchange of WMDs beyond Arthuristan soil also governs the use of chemical weapons by Arthuristan forces.

Loweport has never opted to develop a biological weapons stockpile, except small quantities produced for the purposes of studying potential countermeasures. Biological agents were considered to be weapons of dubious military value: insufficiently fast-acting to be used as tactical weapons and no-match for a nuclear arsenal on the strategic level.

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