dark light

What gives with the NATO nukes at Araxos airbase?

Okay, about a week and a half ago, Greek news sources claimed that the B-61 nuclear free fall bombs operated by NATO (manned by Greek AF crews) at Araxos airbase in Greece had been withdrawn from greek soil and transported back to their parent unit at Aviano. Some reporters staked out the base and snapped some pictures of the trucks hauling the nukes leaving the base. Well, I was reading this article on a Greek news site and I happend upon one of these photos that showed the truck hauling the nukes. Imediately I got suspicious as it didn’t seem to me to look like what it was claimed to be. I then examined the picture further and I noticed that what the truck was hauling appeared to be a TorM1 (SA-15) surface to air missile system, and NOT nukes. I don’t know if you can post pics on this site, if you can I’ll be happy to post the pic. I stared at it for a few minutes and compared it to some photos I have of the SA-15 system, and I came to the conclusion that it was indeed a SAM system. The truck is definetly U.S Army, but that payload it’s hauling sure as hell looks like an SA-15 to me. I also ound out that about that time some Sa-15 units (of the 21 ordered by Greece) were indeed in the Pelopenese (where Araxos airbase is) conducting some weapons systems trials for the Greek Army. I’m thinking that Greece and the U.S came to some sort of deal that would see U.S officers taking a nice close up look and examination of the SA-15 system. That would expalin all the hush hush around this incident. The Greek MoD had no comment on this issue and played it’s usual denial of nukes in Greece as it has been doing for years now. But also, why would the Greeks give up those nukes when Greece’s rival Turkey still operates them? The reason they asked to play host to NATO weapons in the first place was because the Turks had them. I don’t see the MoD giving them up till the Turks do. I think that the MoD let the press claim what they did about the nukes leaving Greece because a)it didn’t want to expose it’s deal with the Yanks to let them examine the SA-15’s, and b)to seize a perfect opportunity of letting the press and the public think that the nukes had left Greece. This would get the citizens off the government’s back about those nukes. Even today, the Minister of Defence denied in parliament any nukes in Greece, no doubt prompted by the recent press coverage. As far as I know, the American AF unit that supports the nukes in Greece, the 731st MNUSS (I belive) is still in Greece. For what though? If there are no nukes there, why be in Greece?

Anyways, if anyone has any info on NATO nukes in Europe, I’d like to hear it……

No replies yet.
Sign in to post a reply