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Aldermaston and Burghfield
Aldermaston and Burghfield
1952 – 1987Atomic Weapons Research
Establishment
1987 – Atomic Weapons
Establishment
Research
ComputersLasers
Core PunchMaterial Science
Computers
Aldermaston Blue Oak 2002
Computers
Blue Gene
Lawrence Livermore
Most powerful computer in the world
Computer projection (Teraflops)
US
AWE
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Cost of nuclear computing
US AWE
£320 million per year
?
Orion Laser
Orion Laser
US Equivalent – NIF
US NIF
Completion date:
was 2002
now 2009
Cost:
was £500 million,
now £2 billion
AWE Proposed Orion Laser
Completion
date: 2012 ??
Cost: ????
Current AWE Core Punch
Core Punch
Core Punch
Core Punch
Proposed Core Punch Facility
US Equivalent - DARHT
US DARHT
Completion date:
was 2002
now 2008
Cost:
was £32 million,
now £174 million
AWE Proposed Core Punch
Completion
date: 2012 ??
Cost: ????
Material Science
Proposed new facilities atAldermaston and possibly
also at Burghfield.
US Equivalent - CMRR
Chemical & Metallurgical Research Replacement (Los Alamos)
Timescale: started 2002
completion date 2014
Cost: £500 million
AWE Material SciencesFacilities
Completion date: 2012 ??
Cost: ???
Production
Plutonium (primary)Uranium (secondary)Warhead Assembly
Plutonium production – A90
Plutonium production – A90
Built from 1980 to 1997
To be refurbished.
Work of A90
Secondary Primary
A90 makes the plutonium pit at the centre of the Primary
Uranium Production Facility
Site of proposed Uranium Production Facility
US equivalent
Proposed Uranium Production Facility for the Y-12 site
Proposed US Uranium Facility
Start: 2006Completion: 2013Cost: £400 m
Work of Uranium Prodution Facility
Radiation case
Secondary Primary
US and AWE “Uranium Production Facilities” make secondaries and radiation cases.
Warhead assembly - Burghfield
Current facility
New assembly facility - Burghfield
Current facility
Proposed new facility
AWE Management Ltd
BNFL
Lockheed Martin
Serco
The view from Lockheed Martin
AWE Sandia National
Laboratory
Reliable Replacement Warhead
Trident contract
Accuracy Adjunct
TridentMissile
Replacement
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