Apr 05, 2022 19:00:00

What is the 'Dead Hand', a doomsday weapon that automatically fires nuclear weapons when Putin dies?

The automatic nuclear weapons control system used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War is the 'Dead Hand .' This dead hand continues to be used in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and is said to be

automatically activated when President Vladimir Putin dies .

Dead Hand-Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Hand

Dead Hand | Hacker News
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30908316

A system that activates the system when there is some kind of alarm or abnormality and leads to a fatal state or its idea is called fail-deadly . The automatic nuclear weapons control system operated by the Russian government as a kind of this failed-deadly is 'Dead Hand'. 'Dead Hand' is to automatically launch an intercontinental ballistic missile by sending the highest authority command pre-input to the command system to the strategic missile unit. When the sensor detects vibration, light, radiation, pressure, etc. related to a nuclear attack, even if the command system is completely destroyed, a nuclear attack is possible if there is a 'dead hand'.

The 'Dead Hand', also known as the 'Perimeter', is intended to function as a backup communication system even if an enemy attack disrupts communication with the chain of command or strategic missile units. .. To achieve these functions, the 'Dead Hand' is designed to function fully automatically, enabling retaliatory attacks without human involvement.

Developer Vladimir Putinich said the 'Dead Hand' 'also serves as a buffer against unverified, informed and hasty decisions by national leaders.' Specifically, a leader at risk of a nuclear weapon simply activates the system and waits, even if all dignitaries with command authority to respond to the attack are killed, 'wrong. It is possible to prevent 'retaliation attacks'.

The Soviet Union is said to have been interested in automated nuclear weapons control systems such as the 'Dead Hand' because the United States developed a high-precision

submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in the 1980s. Until then, the United States carried most nuclear weapons on long-range bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). In addition, earlier American submarine-launched missiles, like the UGM-27 Polaris in the 1960s and the UGM-73 Poseidon in the 1970s, were 'too inaccurate' to be used as a counterattack against an opponent's attack. .. Therefore, SLBM is used for city attacks where accuracy is not so important, and it has the disadvantage that it takes more than 30 minutes from launch to landing.

However, the high-precision SLBMs such as the Trident C4 and D5 that appeared after that have the same accuracy as the ICBM operated at the land base, but because they are missiles that can be mounted on submarines, they 'secretly approach the enemy's coast'. , Fire a high-precision warhead from a close range. ' With this type of operation, the time from launch to landing can be shortened to less than 3 minutes, reducing the possibility of counterattack and retaliation by the opponent.

The Soviet Union's 'Dead Hand' was developed to respond to the evolution of ICBMs and SLBMs. The system can prevent misjudgment by political and military leaders in decisions that must be made in the short time between the launch and landing of SLBMs and ICBMs. In fact, Dead Hand developer Yary Nitch also said the reason for developing the system was 'to prevent false retaliation attacks.'

The exact timing when the 'Dead Hand' began to operate is unknown, but its existence was revealed in the early 1990s by former Soviet Union forces and former officials of the Communist Party Central Committee in the country. Timing. After that, it is unclear whether Russia is actually operating the 'Dead Hand' because former government officials have made statements that allow or deny the operation of the 'Dead Hand'. am.

Still, Putin is rumored to be still operating the 'Dead Hand,' and when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, Russia's non-government news agency Interfax said, 'President Putin's After the order, Russia's nuclear forces were on alert . ' In response to this report, a user of Hacker News wrote, 'Is this report that Putin activated the Dead Hand system?'

In addition, Mr. David E. Hoffman has made a book about 'Dead Hand', so if you want to get more detailed information, please refer to the following book.

Amazon.co.jp: The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and its Dangerous Legacy (English Edition) Ebook: Hoffman, David E .: Foreign Books