bomb

Uranium centrifuges have triggered war between Israel and Iran. Without them it is impossible to have the atomic bomb

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Uranium centrifugers monopolize a good part of global attention since it began The last episode of the conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13. The government led by Benjamín Netanyahu has set as a fundamental objective dismantle the Iranian nuclear program that presumably seeks to develop the necessary technology to Manufacture atomic bombs. And to achieve it Israel and the US have bombarded The facilities in which Iran was carrying out the enrichment of uranium, such as the plants of Fordo, Isfahán and Natanz. According to Israel and the US, these Iranian nuclear facilities housed several hundred uranium centrifugers. It can even that several thousand of these machines. Its role in the nuclear program not only of Iran, but in that of any country with the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons, is to enrich 90%uranium. Otherwise it is not possible to use it to produce atomic fission pumps o Thermonuclear devices that combine fission and nuclear fusion. However, in these last pumps uranium is only used in the fission stage, which acts as a detonator of the nuclear fusion. In this last reaction two isotopes of hydrogen intervene: the deuterium and the tritium. Uranium-235 is the true protagonist of this story To precisely understand what is the purpose of uranium centrifuges it is necessary that we previously investigate in two isotopes of this chemical element Metallic, heavy and radioactive. Uranium is present in nature in very low concentrations, normally in rocks, land and water. Hence, its obtaining is expensive and its complex treatment, since it requires chemical processes capable of separating it from the other elements and impurities with which it usually lives. It has 92 protons and many other electrons orbiting around the nucleus, and the latter incorporates, in addition to the protons, between 142 and 146 neutrons. It is important that we remember that the nucleus of an atom is usually constituted by a certain number of protons and neutrons (although not always: the protio, the isotope of the most abundant hydrogen, has a single proton and no neutron in its nucleus), as well as by some electrons that orbit around it. The fact that the number of neutrons of the uranium nucleus may varyas we have just seen, it indicates that there are several isotopes of this chemical element, which are nothing other than atoms with the same number of protons and electrons, but different number of neutrons. In fission reactors and nuclear weapons it is used as uranium-235 fuel The reason why in the fission reactors and nuclear weapons is used as an uranium-235 fuel, and not another isotope of this element or any other chemical element, it consists that by bombarding its nucleus with a neutron (a process that is known as induced fission) the uranium-235 is transformed into uranium-236, which is a more unstable element. This simply means that Uranium-236 cannot remain long in its current state, so it is divided into two nuclei, one from Bario-144 and another of Crypton-89, and also emits two or three neutrons. And here comes the really interesting: the sum of the masses of the Bario-144 and Crypton-89 nuclei is slightly lower than the Uranium-236 nucleus from which they come (“disappears” around 0.1% of the original mass). Where has the mass we lack? Only one can be left: has been transformed into energy. Formula e = m c²probably the most popular in the history of physics, relates mass and energy, and what it says is simply that a certain amount of mass equals a specific amount of energy, even if the dough is at rest. In fact, the equivalence between mass and energy, proposed by Albert Einstein In 1905, he tells us something more important. The C of the formula represents the speed of light in a vacuum, which, as we all intuit, is a very large number (299,792,458 m/s). In addition, it is squared, which means that even a very, very small mass, such as the portion of the nucleus of an atom, although it is at rest contains a large amount of energy. This is what we know as resting energy. If the mass is in motion its total energy is greater than its resting energy. And, if we observe the equivalence between mass and energy, it is easy to realize that the mass of a body in motion too is greater than its resting massa phenomenon that It introduces us fully into relativistic physics. In any case, the energy we obtain by merging or fissting atomic nuclei comes from the force that keeps them together: Strong nuclear interaction. Understanding with some precision the relationship between mass and energy is important because it helps us understand how it is possible that a mass as small as that of an atom allows us to obtain such a large amount of energy. In any case, the nuclear fission process does not end here. And it is that each of the neutrons that we have obtained as a result of the disintegration of the Uranium-236 nucleus in the Bario-144 and Crypton-89 nuclei can interact with other physically nuclei, causing a chain reaction. However, not all neutrons emitted during the disintegration of the Uranium-236 nucleus will interact with a physirable nucleus. But they don’t need to do it all. It is enough that only one of those neutrons achieves it to obtain a stable number of fissures, and, therefore, a controlled reaction, which is the objective of the reactors of the nuclear power plants. Centrifugators serve to increase uranium-235 concentration The most abundant uranium isotope in nature is uranium-238. In fact, it represents approximately 99.3% of the total uranium. The problem is that this isotope is not physically. The uranium enrichment process seeks to increase the proportion of uranium-235, which, as we have seen, is physically, within the total mass of uranium. However, this last isotope is very scarce in nature. So much that only represents 0.7% of natural uranium. The nuclear reactors of the power plants require … Read more

The US has started evaluating the risks that runs if you attack Iran. What worries you most is a fearsome bomb: yours

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While the United States, in Trump’s figure, leafless the Margarita on a possible intervention American military against Iran, several scenarios open, all uncertain, and a technical, strategic and symbolic obstacle: the difficulty of destroying The ForDow Uranium Enrichment Center, a underground installation excavated deep in a mountain. In fact and, as we will see, Washington’s main concern at this time is a bomb … yours. Weigh the risks. He Financial Times and the Washington Post have published two reports on that moment of Impasse that is lived in the administration. While Trump holds intense meetings in the White House crisis room to decide if the United States joins the Israeli offensive against Iran, US intelligence and defense services draw an exhaustive map of possible reprisals that Tehran could trigger. Among the explicit warnings of the Iranian supreme leader, Ali Jamenei (who has threatened to cause “irreparable damage” if Washington intervenes), and the strategic memory of previous cycles Of climbing, the White House faces a decision that could mark the turning point In the conflict. Iranian response options cover A broad spectrum: Direct attacks against American troops or embassies in the Middle East, cybernetic sabotages, terrorist attacks, undercover actions through allied militias such as Hezbollah or hutis, and, perhaps the most serious from the economic point of view, the Ormuz Strait closurewhere a third of the world’s maritime oil travels. The dilemma of deterrence. The United States currently maintains some 40,000 military troops deployed in the region, with eight permanent bases in countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Catar and Arab Emirates, in addition to operational presence in other eleven key enclaves, including Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Oman. The Udeid Air Base in Catar, headquarters of the American central command, houses 10,000 soldiersand other facilities such as the Bahrain Naval Base or the infrastructure in Kuwait house tens of thousands more. Although all have aerial defenses, their geographical proximity with Iran makes them Vulnerable objectives Before a ballistic or cruise missile attack, drones or even irregular command incursions. Iran has a significant arsenal of unmanned projectiles and aerial vehicles, many of them of their own manufacture or adaptations of Russian and North Korean models, and although their response would not be immediate, the internal debate in Tehran about when and how to answer It could be intensified If Washington actively participates in the campaign. The threat of the Strait. He Ormuz narrowneuralgic point of global hydrocarbons trade, represents a Strategic risk first order. Iran has demonstrated in the past (as in 2019when it managed to temporarily paralyze 50% of Saudi production through a combined missile and drone attack) that can seriously affect the world energy market. If you choose to undermine the strait, use fast boats, submarines or coastal batteries to block the passage, the impact on oil prices It would be immediate and global. It happens that they will also It depends on the Strait For its own crude oil exports, which introduces a structural contradiction: damage ormuz would harm both their enemies and itself. Even so, like They point out analysts From the pentagon, deterrence based on mutual vulnerability does not guarantee containment if the survival of the regime is at stake. The precedent of hutis in the red seawhich have managed to interrupt maritime traffic despite weeks of US bombings, demonstrates the effectiveness of sustained asymmetric tactics even under constant military pressure. The mystery of a bomb. And here we reach the main theme from the perspective of the possible attack of the United States. In the heart of deliberations about this possible military intervention against Iran is the difficulty of destroying the center of Uranium enrichment of Fordow, that underground installation excavated deep in a mountain. He counted exclusive The Guardian that Trump has already been informed that the use of the GBU-57 pump could, in theory, Inspore fordow During a limited period of time, but according to sources close to the conversations, the president is not convinced of his effectiveness and has conditioned any authorization to attack the guarantee that the objective can be eliminated definitively. B-52 launching a MOP during the tests, 2009 Reasonable doubt. Doubts feed not only for the tactical complexity of the operation, but also of the evaluation of the Department of Defense: several experts They have warned Not even a GBU-57 pump battery would be enough to completely destroy Fordow, and that only A tactical nuclear weapon I could achieve it with certainty. In this regard, the British newspaper stressed that the option, however, has not been considered Formally and was ruled out in the meetings held between Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegesh and the head of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine. GBU-57 limitations. It We count this week. It is a 13.6 tons pump capable of penetrate underground structures reinforced, the same one that has been the center of multiple debates in the Pentagon since the beginning of Trump’s mandate. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DRA), responsible for testing and analyzing this kind of weapons, has pointed out that Fordow, about 80 meters underground, is beyond the operational reach of this ammunition without a PREVIOUS PREPARATION OPERATION that includes the destruction of aerial defenses, elimination of GPS interference and a possible saturation attack with conventional weapons to weaken the land. Even so, even under optimal conditions, the impact of a GBU-57 pump It could be limited to collapsing tunnels, sealing accesses and burying machinery under debris, but not to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear capacity. The bomb, in addition, has never been used Under real conditions against an installation such as Fordow, which adds technical uncertainty to the already high political risk of initiating an open conflict. Absolute success or deterrence. The Guardian explained That for some high controls, the real problem is not the bomb itself, but the expectation of a “One and Done (unique and decisive attack) that does not conform to operational reality. The retired general Randy Manner, former Draw director, He warned that ForDow could be … Read more

Israel is obsessed with Iran’s nuclear bomb project. What hides is your own unofficial atomic arsenal

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With the conflict of the Middle East there is a paradox. Israel has been saying that Iran is about to Have nuclear weaponssomething that nobody is certain that it is so, at least not in its entirety. In fact, it is one of the most repeated issues these days how far the Iranian “nuclear theme” reaches. And yet, no one asks the question in reverse. What happens to Israel’s nuclear program? Iran’s “bombs”. It We count yesterday. Despite the alarms on by Netanyahu for more than a decade (like that famous bomb cart that showed in the UN in 2012), there are no conclusive tests that Iran has made the decision to manufacture a nuclear weapon. While the country has enriched uranium to nearby levels to the military And it has accumulated reservations that, technically, could serve to produce several bombs with greater purification, both US intelligence services and the International Atomic Energy Agency agree that It has not been detected An active weapon program. Iran has become A “threshold state”with the ability to arm himself if he decided, but without evidence of crossed that threshold. Single side. And while Israel displays All your military force To dismantle what he considers an existential threat (Iran’s nuclear program), he does so carrying his own atomic arsenal, no officially recognized But increasingly evident. The war that Israel has undertaken against Tehran seeks to destroy Key facilities That, according to international experts, they could provide Iran that atomic bomb in a matter of months. However, in a gesture of paradoxical silence, Israel has never confirmed or denied the existence of its own nuclear program. At the diplomatic level, it maintains an ambiguous formula: ensures that it will not be the first country to “introduce” nuclear weapons in the Middle East. That phrase, deliberately inaccurate, allows you to preserve a discourse of prudence while preserving what most analysts consider a consolidated and growing atomic capacity. Hidden but feared. In fact, the play is doubly winner. Had the New York Times that the most conservative calculations attribute to Israel a minimum of 90 Nuclear Ojivas lists to be deployed, with sufficient fistening material reserves to manufacture hundreds more. Although its arsenal is the second smallest of the nine countries recognized informally as nuclear powers, Just ahead North Korea, its delivery capacity It is advanced: Balistic missiles, modified and submarine combat aircraft endowed with missiles with nuclear capacity constitute a complete deterrence triad. Israel’s absence in the Nuclear Non -Proliferation Treaty (which is also not part of Indian, Pakistan or North Korea) reinforces the legal exceptionality of your situation. The treaty, in force since 1970only recognizes the five nations that detonated atomic weapons before 1967: United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Any other country that signed should, in theorygive up this armament. Israel has avoided that commitment, thus maintaining a strategic freedom that allows it to operate outside international inspections or explicit limitations. Dimona’s secret. And here comes one of the keys to the heart. The heart of the Israeli nuclear program beats in the Néguev desert, at the facilities of Dimona. Founded in 1958 With French help, this installation was Inspection object Americans during the 1960s, but since then it has remained Out of reach of any international monitoring. Broarship intelligence documents They revealed Already in 1960 that the complex included a plant of Plutonium reprocessingwhich implied a military objective. By 1967, Israel had managed to develop nuclear explosives And in 1973, during the Yom Kipur WarThe United States already assumed with certainty that the country He had atomic bombs. Throughout the decades, various satellite images have documented significant extensions In Dimonaand some Recent reports They indicate that Israel could even be building a new reactor to increase its plutonium production capacity, the material indispensable for both nuclear weapons and certain peaceful uses. Silent deterrence. Unlike dozens of countries that are accepted to the nuclear umbrella From the United States for its defense, Israel has opted for its own atomic shield. This strategic independence suggests that Israel not only has nuclear weapons, but is willing to use them As a last resort If its existence is compromised. Although you have never used these weapons in combat, There are reports which point to their preparation during the wars of 1967 and 1973. It is also suspected that Israel participated in Secret nuclear trialsas the famous incident of the American satellite Watches in 1979which detected a double light explosion near the Indian Ocean. Although the nation denied its involvement, newspapers of President Jimmy Carter recorded the Strong suspicion that Israel and South Africa collaborated in that clandestine test. Be that as it may, those events still are not confirmed, although the most relevant documents continue to classified, which feeds suspicions. The strategic logic. In short, and despite Your official opacitythe existence of Israeli nuclear arsenal seems tacitly recognized for its exclusion of otherwise protection mechanisms. The fact that it is not part of the American deterrence is interpreted by experts such as the clearest nonverbal confirmation of its independent atomic capacity. In the eyes of the Israeli government, this decision responds to A philosophy deeply rooted: no one but Israel can and should guarantee their survival. I remembered the Times that this logic, heiress of foundational trauma From the Holocaust, it was explicitly expressed By Ernst David Bergmann, president of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, stating that the atomic bomb was the only guarantee that “we will never be taken as lambs to the slaughterhouse.” No doubt, that principle continues to guide Israeli nuclear doctrine: maintain a sufficiently ambiguous capacity not to cause international reactions, but powerful enough to deter any real aggression. Image | Planet Lab, The Official CTBO In Xataka | Israel’s great goal in his war against Iran is to destroy Fordow. And you can only get it with a bomb that has USA In Xataka | Ukraine was the anticipation of what Israel has done: war is no longer … Read more

Israel’s great goal in his war against Iran is to destroy Fordow. And you can only get it with a bomb that has USA

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It happened a few hours ago and American media They are taking it on their covers. Trump and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke on the phone. It is not clear what they said, but the call occurred while the president has been considering a distant option: that the United States intervenes directly in the Israel’s efforts for damaging the nuclear capacity From Iran. In the background, an idea that was intuited from the beginning of the conflict: the only way to reach Fordow was Through Washington. A key decision. On a day that could define the rest of its presidency, Trump faces one of the decisions more transcendental Of his mandate: or not to the Israel War against Iran. After returning from the G7 summit in Canada, the president held a high -level meeting and talked directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While, In your social networks He proclaimed that the United States had “total control of Iranian airspace,” warned Supreme Leader Ali Jameneí who was an “easy white” and demanded an “unconditional surrender”, without defining the terms. Although until recently Trump had advocated a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program, his rhetoric and his most recent military movements (such as the deployment of bombers and Naval destroyers) suggest that this direct intervention is seriously considering. The change of posture. Had the New York Times In an extensive report how that turn to action in Washington’s position has been brewing. Throughout the last weeks, Trump has traveled from diplomatic containment to a growing acceptance of the military road to the Iranian challenge, largely pushed by the constant pressure of the Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu. While Trump tried to keep negotiations with Tehran (even sending A personal letter Ayatolá Jamenei and presenting nuclear cooperation proposals with regional participation), American intelligence began to warn that Israel He planned an attack Imminent against the Iranian nuclear program, with or without the support of Washington. Israel and pressure. The Times explained That Netanyahu, tired of years of containment by successive US presidents, seemed willing to launch a large offensive, not only on nuclear facilities, but potentially on the Iranian regime itself. This direct threat, added to the growing Trump skepticism Regarding the Iranian will to reach a real agreement, it caused an inflection: although at the beginning it rejected deliver the antibunker bombs requested by Netanyahu, the president ended up offering support in intelligence and now even values ​​the use of b-2 bombers and heavy armament against Fordowhe heart Underground Iranian nuclear enrichment. Symbolic weight. It is the other leg that explains the turn of events. It is not only a product of intelligence reports or impatience to stagnant negotiations, but also symbolic and media weight of the Israeli attacks and the role that Trump You want to project before its base: that of a strong, decisive and protective leader of Israel’s interests. Gathered with their advisors at Camp David, the media have counted that the President debated various optionsfrom passivity to total implication, and opted for a Intermediate strategy that would allow him to maintain a certain political distance while offering operational support. However, as Israel He obtained tactical victories (Including the murder of Iranian military leaders and the possible penetration in Natanz’s facilities), Trump began to change his public position, hinting at a more active role in the United States in the campaign. The goal. Because the key, againis in Fordow, the Iranian uranium enrichment center excavated under a mountain, a fortress that could only be destroyed by a name: the gigantic GBU-57 pumpsthat only B-2 can launch. The possibility of attacking with this arsenal, added to the perception that Israel cannot destroy underground installation without US support, feeds the sensation of imminence. MOP underground at White Sands Missile Range before his first explosion test in 2007 The bomb that drills mountains. Thus, and in the midst of a conflict that does nothing but grow, the potential role of the United States in an air operation against Iranian nuclear facilities brings to stage one of the most feared and less used artifacts of the US arsenal: the GBU-57A/B. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 13,600 kilos bomb Designed to do precisely what its name indicates: to penetrate deeply into the earth and destroy underground fortifications. Unlike conventional mass dispersion pumps, MOP is a precision weapon, not saturation. Its forged steel structure and its guide by GPS allow it excavate up to 60 meters in solid rock (or even more, after years of improvements not revealed) before detonating in the heart of bunkers, tunnels or underground laboratories designed to resist the apocalypse. It is not the volume. Although it is the explosive non -nuclearly heavy of the US military inventory, its effectiveness does not depend on the destructive volume, but on its surgical capacity to eliminate what is beyond the reach of any other pump. Despite its devastating potential, it has never been used in combat, but its deployment is contemplated only for missions that alter the global strategic balance. B-2’s first public flight in 1989 19 B-2. And here appears the other fundamental leg of the strategy of this deterrent pump. The MOP cannot be launched from any aircraft. Only the B-2 Spiritthe stealthy strategic bomber of the United States Air Force has the structural and technological capacity to load it and deliver it in the target. With just 19 operational units (a good part parked On Diego García Island), The B-2 is not a bomber: it is a platform designed to go far, avoid radars and attack in depth, literally. In the past, these devices have flown round trip missions of more than 30 hours From Misuri until Libya or Kosovowithout scales except reposses in the air. Plus: the Recent updates to the MOP system they have sought to perfect the Integration between bomb and planein addition to improving the capacity of the intelligent spolet to detect structural “empty” (floors, cameras, tunnels) and exploit exactly at the most … Read more

We have been believing that Iran is “five years” from the nuclear bomb. In reality we only know how much uranium enriches

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Few phrases have been as repeated in the geopolitics of the West as “Iran is five years from the nuclear bomb.” For more than three decades, we have heard predictions that place the Iranian regime on the verge of crossing the atomic threshold, a stopwatch that restarts again and again without the prophecy becoming fulfilled. The real problem is not so much what we know about Iran’s nuclear program, as the immensity of what we do not know. And it is in that fog of uncertainty where the most dangerous decisions are cooked. A diffuse red line like Casus Belli. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a war against Iran framed in which the regime is “close to finishing the construction of a nuclear bomb.” This language transforms an old threat into an immediate danger, turning the rhetorical red line into a justification for war. Although the United States initially denies direct participation in the attack, political and military support has gone in crescendo. A Message of President Donald Trump In capital letters, “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon!”, It works as a blank check for Israel. Thirty years of breached predictions. When a suspicion, and not an evidence, they are a reason for war, it is worth reviewing the newspaper library to put rhetoric in perspective. The feeling of “imminent nuclear bomb” in Iran is not new. It is a political construction that has been managing for decades, with Benjamin Netanyahu as its main architect. In 1992, Netanyahu already warned that Iran was “three or five years” to obtain nuclear weapons. In 2012, he starred in one of his most iconic moments at the UN, drawing a red line with a marker In a cartoon scheme of a pumpand ensuring that they would cross the line in the summer of 2013. Each period has been fulfilled without the weapon becoming materialized. What do intelligence agencies say. Although Israel had in the United States its main political ally, US intelligence agencies did not buy their rhetoric about Iran. In 2007, the National Intelligence Estimate De la CIA concluded with “high confidence” that Iran had stopped its nuclear militarization program, the AMAD Plan. The verification of this break came in 2015 with the Comprehensive Comprehensive Plan Joint (JCPOA), an agreement by which Iran limited uranium enrichment to 3.67% in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. The break that caught the fuse. Paradoxically, the withdrawal of the United States of the JCPOA in 2018, driven by the same rhetoric of the “imminent bomb”, caused the response that was intended to avoid. Iran began to enrich uranium at unprecedented levels: first 20% and then 60%, drastically shortening the theoretical deadlines for the pump and triggering the current crisis. Despite this, there are no evidence, beyond the expansion of enrichment plants, that Iran have the necessary technology or develop those weapons. Although, in honor of the truth, it is logical that there are no, since most of the activity is underground. Faith jump between enrichment and nuclear bomb. To understand how “near” Iran of the nuclear bomb is, you have to differentiate two key processes. The first is the fuel: the enrichment of uranium, the visible part of the process. It is about increasing the concentration of the fistible isotope 2 35 of the uranium from the 0.7% natural to 90% (the arms degree). Thanks to the withdrawal of the JCPOA, Iran accumulates a large amount of 60%enriched uranium. And moving from 60 to 90% is a technically feasible leap within a few weeks. However, Having the fuel is not having the enginewhat Anglo -Saxons call “weaponization.” A set of incredibly complex steps to convert the fistible material into a functional eye that can be mounted on a missile. They have to convert the uranium of arms degree, which is a gas, into a metal sphere. They have to surround that sphere with high precision explosives that have to detonate simultaneously in microseconds to compress the nucleus and start the chain reaction. And all this, in a package small and light enough to fit in the eyes of a missile and survive the launch. This is where we enter the field of almost total uncertainty. We know that this will investigated with the AMAD Plan, but its current progress is unknown. However, nobody knows it with certainty because intelligence on underground activities is very difficult to obtain. What we know with certainty. Despite decades of sanctions, sabotage, selective murders of its scientists and cyberbrains (like the famous Stuxnet, which destroyed uranium centrifuges), the Iranian nuclear program has not only survived, but has become stronger and more self -sufficient. Iran designs and produces its own advanced centrifuging. In fact, Israel’s main objective is to destroy the Fordow plant, that Iran built under a mountain to make it invulnerable to air attacks. In parallel, Iran has developed the largest and diverse ballistic missile program in the Middle East, and a fleet of trucks ready to shoot them. This resilience demonstrates that technical knowledge is deeply institutionalized in the regime, which is why Israel has eliminated those responsible for the nuclear program, as well as Iranian launches. At the same time, each Israeli attack can reinforce the conviction in Tehran that the pump is the only guarantee of survival, a fish that bites the tail, accelerated by Netanyahu’s rhetoric. They will go in the North Korean mirror or Pakistan. Beyond the rhetoric of the West, two countries offer key lessons about Iran. North Korea built its nuclear program to ensure the survival of the regime. Isolated and economically devastated, He saw the bomb as his only insurance policy against a overthrow imposed by the United States. The sanctions and pressure only reinforced their determination. Pakistan followed a strategic imperative. It sought to neutralize the military superiority of India. When India tried her bomb in 1974, the Pakistani bomb became a matter of national survival. Iran is a hybrid and more complex case. Share the survival … Read more

A country has literally found the bomb -proof solution to the large electrical blackouts: Ukraine

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It happened a few hours ago. Among the multiple calls that the Spanish Government has received from countries, worrying about the emergency situation after The national blackoutone did not go unnoticed. Zelensky, president of Ukraine, called Pedro Sánchezand not only to show your support, but to provide all the necessary help. After all, if anyone knows about blackouts, that is the nation of the East. They have learned to survive in the dark and Russian bomb proof. The devastation of the electrical system. From the beginning of the large -scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has directed a good part of its attacks against infrastructure Ukrainian energy. Last summer, Ukraine had lost and in just three months More than nine gigawatts of generation capacity, more than a third of the one it owned before the war. According to Ukrenergo dataThis would be equivalent to the total demand of countries such as the Netherlands at peak hours, or even the sum of Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Winter. All state thermal plants were destroyed and all hydroelectric plants had suffered damage to missiles or drones. The strategy of Russian attacks was clear: it was not only sought to destroy military capacity, but to break the soul of a society through forced darkness, interrupting the most essential: Heating, running water, elevators, communications, operating rooms or the simple possibility of maintaining an organized civil life. Today, and according to the UN agency for refugees, More than 60% From the country’s electricity generation capacity it has been destroyed or useless. In a country where winter is not only a station but an existential threat, running without energy is running out of heating, without water, without communications. For millions, electricity represents the last bastion between dignity and precarious survival. Survive blackouts. He told the last July the BBC that the blackouts in Ukraine had become a presence as constant as the war itself. In cities such as Odessa, Kyiv or Zaporizhzhia, electricity was an intermittent luxury, a resource that appears and disappears under the buzzing of the generators or the sepulchral silence of the fallen network. In that context, electricity ceased to be just a comfort to become the threshold between life and death. Cases like Tetiana’smother of a child with serious disabilities, who lives that truth every day: her son depends on breathing machines, feeding and receiving medication. Without stable supply, his life hangs from a thread. In your home, prolonged blackouts (sometimes twelve hours a day) force to constantly feed a gasoline generator that, in addition, must stop every six hours so as not to overheat. When your child convulses, the minutes without mobile or ambulance coverage are transformed into torture. In words to the British environment“You can die if you don’t receive oxygen. I am missing words.” Thus thin is the line between chaos and survival. Scheduled cuts. In August of last year there was a substantial change in the struggle of Ukraine to the blackouts. A Mondayhundreds of missiles and Russian drones fell on the nation. First the electricity was cut, then the water. That day marked the Greater Russian air attack against Ukrainian energy infrastructure since the beginning of large -scale invasion. The bombing continued the next day, raising the number of deaths to twelve and leaving millions of people throughout the country. The largest private energy company in Ukraine, DTEKmade a decision: Apply scheduled cuts In multiple regions: Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk. On the periphery of the capital, the neighbors began to live with six hours of blackout followed by two hours with electricity, in the early morning. A rhythm that allowed planning (even if not resting). Loading with energy. The result of the situation is that Ukraine has learned to live with the blackouts. What would have paralyzed the country before, today faced with Decentralized solutions. In Kyiv, the so -called “invincibility points” offer citizens electrical charge and the Internet during the cuts. But many do not even go to them: they have made portable batteries an object as essential as mobile phone or keys. Most shops, from street stalls to shopping centers, already have their own generators. In fact and as we said, that buzz of its engines has become the usual soundtrack of the blackouts. Examples Told the CNN Maksym Holubchenko, a 25 -year -old barista in the capital, that his cafeteria remains open thanks to one of those generators. However, it does not supply to cover all the demand: in winter you can maintain the operation, but in summer they must turn off the air conditioning and parts of the coffee maker so as not to overload the system. Adaptation is not comfortable, it is simply the result of an urgent need, and a resistance without alternatives. For Inna, an 87 -year -old woman from Odessa, the current situation arouses ancient echoes. “I already survived World War, so I have some experience … I bought candles,” He reported. His story underlines a painful paradox: a modern, European country, with full integration ambitions in the West, forced to technologically retreat, to depend on the rudimentary to face the essential. The candles, thermos, the portable loaders, the calendars marked by electric cuts … make up a new normality born of the energy siege. Go to the bank without light. Before prolonged blackouts caused by Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, the National Bank of Ukraine has also launched the Power Banking Projecta network of autonomous bank branches designed to operate without depending on the electricity supply. These “unwavering” offices will be equipped with generators, special communication channels, ATMs, additional and effective personnel available, allowing citizens to access essential services such as money withdrawals, payments, transfers, currency change and financial advice even during prolonged cuts. In addition, a “National Roaming System” Between ATMs, with unified limits and without commissions between banks, initiative already adopted by entities Like Oschadbankto guarantee equitable cash access throughout the country. Broken as a resistance symbol. In short, Ukraine applies preventive cuts Not only … Read more

How to build an atomic bomb at home

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Almost half a century ago, when there was obviously no internet and geopolitics revolved around The cold wara fact occurred that made alarms jump to society. Actually, that was the preamble of what would later be enhanced with the networks: use the public material and information available to anyone to develop weapons. With an exception: I was in Liza Build An atomic bomb In the house storage. How to become a legend. Year 1977. A little prominent student from Princeton University He surprised the world Entero (and to the FBI) ​​with an academic project that, under the revealing title of “How to build your own atomic bomb”, detailed to chilling precision the necessary steps to manufacture a functional nuclear weapon. Its author, John Aristotle Phillipsa 21 -year -old born in Connecticut, was the son of Greek immigrants and was studying without standing at all: he had repeated courses, he touched the suspense and was better known by Your pet costume of football than for their academic achievements. His transformation into an international figure came from the hand of an unexpected combination of obsession, stubbornness, ability to seek information and the challenge of impressing a legendary teacher. The academic challenge. Phillips faced a final task proposed by the famous physical Freeman Dysonwho taught in Princeton after having worked with figures such as Richard Feynman and Hans Bethe In some of the most complex projects of the twentieth century, including the development of the atomic bomb inside of the Manhattan project. Dyson had asked his students to work on nuclear proliferation, and Phillips, aware of his lack of academic brightness, wanted to stand out with a provocative proposal: to recreate the design of a bomb similar to that of Nagasakiusing only public sources. Dyson, surprised by the audacity, humorously accepted the challenge, promising an outstanding qualification if he succeeded, but also that he would burn the work after reading it. An obsession. For weeks, Phillips worked tirelessly between Princeton Library and his room, collecting Declassified Document Information of the National Technical Information Service, Physics textbooks, government communications and consultations with the Du Pont company about implosion principles. Without using a single classified source, he managed to assemble a 40 -page document where I explained step by step how to make a nuclear bomb. He delivered the work, obtained the maximum note and, far from being destroyed as Dyson had suggested, his project began to circulate from mouth to mouth until he reached the ears of professional physicists and media. A national celebrity. The dissemination of work attracted the attention of experts such as Frank Chilton, a physicist specialized in nuclear engineering, who said that Phillips design was Technically viablewith the exception of access to plutonium, the only obstacle to its materialization. The news It exploded in the media: The boy without an academic future became forever In “The A-Bomb Kid”a media figure that symbolized both unexpected brilliance and the dangers of dissemination without control in the nuclear era. Fame reached a critical point when several pakistani scientific assumptions approached Phillips to offer money in exchange for the document. The FBI intervened immediately: confiscated the work and a model that the student had built, and classified the material as sensitive information. The contradictory inheritance. Far from taking advantage of his sudden fame to continue in the academic or scientific world, Phillips published in 1979 with David Michaelis the book Mushroom: The True Story of the A-Bomb Kidwhere he narrated his experience and the journey of his unusual rise to fame. Over time, his awareness about the risks of nuclear proliferation led him to become an antinuclear activist, dedicating years to warn about the ease with which certain knowledge could fall into wrong hands. In fact, and in a turn of the events that no one expected, its trajectory finally resulted In politics: He was running as a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 1980 and 1982, although that, without electoral success. The truth is that never He shone again as he did in that university project. A warning in full “era.” The history of Philips cannot be more relevant now that the world seems more convulsion that never. In fact, Aristotle’s case It marked a precedent disturbing: A student without access to classified materials managed to design, using only public sources, a functional nuclear artifact. In a global context where technological proliferation has only increased, its history continues to be used as an example in debates about information security, scientific education and ethical limits of knowledge. Although he never physically built the bomb, his work showed that the danger does not always come from professional spies or enemy governments, but also from curious minds with a long time, access to libraries … and a typewriter. Ironically, today there is no need for any of the three keys. Image | Rawpixel In Xataka | How to survive an atomic bomb (and why it is better not to run after the explosion) In Xataka | In 1940 USA offered 100 million dollars to Denmark for Greenland. NASA has found the reason: a secret city

A bomb is directed to Ukraine from the US. It is called GLSDB and is Boeing’s antidote to the “offensive triangle” of Russia

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Two news in the last hours reflect to what extent the war in Ukraine is a nonsense. On the one hand, the United States has confirmed that he is arguing with Putin LAs lands and energy plants that would find the long -awaited fire. On the other, a package is directed from Washington to Ukraine. Inside, some bombs They promise to change the current Russian advantage in the invasion. The “offensive triangle”. They counted several analysts over the weekend that as the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, Russia has perfected a strategy that, although it has not achieved decisive advances on the battlefield, is Erosioning systematically the abilities and moral of the Ukrainian forces. The approach, called by British experts such as the “offensive triangle,” combines infantry, attack drones and planning pumps to subdue Ukrainian forces at constant pressure. Tactics has been particularly effective due to Current situation of Ukrainewhich faces the reduction of western military supplies, exacerbated by the decision of the Trump administration of freeze shipments of arms and all cooperation in intelligence (now reactivated both). Although Russia still does not achieve significant strategic advances, its approach is achieving an accumulation of small victories at a high human and material cost. The key role of UMPK. One of the most novel and effective elements of this strategy has been the intensive use of UMPK planning pumpswhich have allowed Russia revive your air capacity without exposing your enemy fire planes. These bombs, which transform conventional ammunition into low -cost precision weapons, have been a key factor for Russia since Your introduction in 2023. Unlike western systems such as The JDAM from the United States (used for more than 25 years), Russian UMPK prioritize quantity over precision. Although its accuracy is less than that of its western counterparts, its explosive power is devastating. Plus: These ammunition have proven to be particularly effective against Ukrainian trenches and bunkers, since even a close impact can destroy well prepared fortifications. It is estimated that Russia will increase its production of 40,000 UMPK bombs in 2024 70,000 in 2025which will mean an even greater challenge for Ukraine. American aid: GLSDB. The response of Ukraine to the Russian offensive triangle will arrive thanks to the reactivation of military aid and intelligence cooperation in the United States. To be more exact, a New improved version of the GROUND-LAUNCHED SMALL DIAMETER BOM (GLSDB). The bomb, which debuted on the Ukrainian battlefield months ago, had a disappointing performance, especially due to the advanced electronic warfare capabilities of Russia, which led to its use was suspended. However, with the growing need for long -range armament after the decrease in reserves of Atacms missilesGLSDB has been reevaluated and modified to counteract electronic interference and improve its effectiveness. The modifications. According to Reutersthe new versions of the GLSDB include structural reinforcements to better withstand launch tensions, in addition to an optimization in Your GPS navigation systemwhich would do it more resistant to blocking and supplantation of signals (Jamming/Spoofing). In fact, to validate these improvements, 19 launch tests were carried out recently. We remember that the bomb was developed by Boeing and Saab, a precision weapon released from the ground with remote attack capacity. Its design is based on the combination of two existing components. On the one hand, the small diameter pump GBU-39/B (SDB), used in air attacks. On the other, the M26 rocket engine, which is used in multiple launcher systems m270 mlrs and M142 Himars. How it works. The system allows the GLSDB to be triggered as if it were a rocket to use and, after reaching a certain altitude, displays retractable wings that allow it to plan without propulsion to its target, using its inertial navigation system and GPS. Its scope is approximately 150 kmwhich makes it especially useful for Ukraine in its attempt to attack Russian infrastructure and supply lines at a great distance. The initial problem. Although Saab had ensured that GLSDB had high precision (with a margin of error of only one meter), reports from the front suggest that their vulnerability to the Russian electronic warfare It was greater than expected. Russia has demonstrated an effective capacity to Block GPS signalswhich affected the precision of the GLSDB and reduced its effectiveness. Interestingly, the aerial version of the SDB has worked well in the Ukrainian Air Force, which has raised doubts about why the land version suffered interference problems. It is suggested that the greatest flight distance in GLSDB may have amplified the impact of GPS signal loss. Strategic importance and versatility. Be that as it may be despite its initial problems, GLSDB is still A key piece In the Ukrainian military strategy. Its great reach places the pump above the 227 mm rockets used in the MLRS and Himars, which allows deep attacks without the need for expensive tactical ballistic missiles such as the same Atacms. In addition, it has the advantage of being compatible with multiple launch platforms, including the MLRS M270 and the Himars M142which facilitates its integration into the Ukrainian Arsenal. Plus: Another important factor is the availability of components, since both M26 engines and GBU-39/B pumps have broad “stock” in the US and other allies, which makes the GLSDB pump a viable and scalable option to maintain the pressure on Russia and cope with that moscow wear war with Your offensive triangle. Image | Saab In Xataka | Russia has crowded a surprising blow to Ukraine: 100 soldiers walking for four days inside a gas pipeline In Xataka | The problem of Ukraine is not just the lack of weapons. The US has a “button” to deactivate the artillery already sent

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