
Cold war bomb warmed by chickens - bryanrasmussen
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3588465.stm
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vilhelm_s
Reminds me of this other cold war project, the pidgeon-guided missile:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Pigeon)

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tyingq
The fact that there's such a thing as a nuclear landmine is more surprising to
me than anything else in the story.

Edit: Article says it would have been manually, remotely detonated, so that's
at least a little less crazy.

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cperciva
Israel is believed to have nuclear land mines placed in the Golan Heights, due
to the strategic importance of that area. If Israel ever attacked and
militarily forced to withdraw from that area, it's likely to become a
radioactive exclusion zone.

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hutzlibu
Give how small that whole area is, it sounds cracy to consider it an option as
this would likely radiate much more than just the heights ... with wind it
would nicely spread out to the whole area. :(

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cperciva
When they believe that they face an existential threat, military planners
often consider options which would otherwise be considered crazy. Look at
mutually assured destruction, for example...

(Whether Israel actually _does_ face an existential threat is irrelevant here;
the fact that they _believed_ they faced such a threat from their Arab
neighbours explains their actions, regardless of whether that belief was
correct.)

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nielsbot
Is it significant that the publish date is April Fool's Day, 2004?

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jachee
> Tom O'Leary, head of education and interpretation at the National Archives,
> told the paper: "It does seem like an April Fool but it most certainly is
> not. The Civil Service does not do jokes."

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synicalx
In my sleep deprived stupor, I read that title as "Cold War, Bombed by
Chickens" and got very very interested.

