Secret Ingredient Delays Missile Upgrade

A mysterious substance codenamed "Fogbank" is delaying the refurbishment of W76 Trident missile warheads in both the U.S. and U.K., reports New Scientist manazine. The substance, which is described as being toxic, corrosive and explosive, is apparently a cleaning agent.

According to the Guardian newspaper:

*A spokesman for the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which runs Y-12, confirmed that the refurbishment had run into difficulties, but would not elaborate: "The only thing we can say is there's an issue with the W76 life extension program. It's been delayed a bit, but we have all our experts working on it." *

*Last year, Thomas D'Agostino, the NNSA administrator, told a congressional committee that the administration was spending "a lot of money" trying to make "Fogbank" at Y-12, but "we're not out of the woods yet". The material was extremely flammable and explosive, he said, and involved dealing with toxic materials hazardous to Y-12's workforce. *

The exact function of Fogbank has not been specifified, but in New Scientist it is suggested that it is connected with the foam layer between the fission and fusion elements of the Trident warhead. The foam is needed to generate a superheated plasma which triggers the fusion reaction -- and Fogbank is presumably needed to extend the life of this foam. The magazine quotes Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists as saying that if the Fogbank problem cannot be solved, developing a replacement warhead will become a "national emergency."