Delta Force
Banned
For the purposes of this, the PoD can be anytime following the discovery of fission in 1938. That can include the Commonwealth developing nuclear weapons independently of the United States under Tube Alloys, a no/late World War II situation, or anything similar. It's more of an exploration of a larger Commonwealth nuclear program, making the program somewhat similar in scope to those of the Soviet Union and United States.
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and South Africa all pioneered or had interest in nuclear technology. For example, the United Kingdom pioneered commercial nuclear power at Calder Hall, although the Magnox reactors were primarily build to produce plutonium for the nuclear program. Calder Hall and efforts in the Soviet Union led the United States to grow concerned about losing the nuclear energy race, as it was thought they would prove powerful for soft power initiatives in the third world. Also, later in the late 1950s British and French gas cooled reactors were considered to be the most advanced in the world, with many states in Western Europe and elsewhere considering ordering them. This ended with the 1958 EURATOM Agreement, which led to most of Western Europe adopting American pressurized light water reactors, including France. The United Kingdom held out to work on gas cooled reactors, including the advanced gas cooled reactor design, but eventually adopted pressurized light water technology. Gas cooled reactors are interesting in that they have the potential for greater efficiency relative to other designs, due to the use of the Brayton cycle. They may also be less expensive and require less advanced industry to construct (or at least less specialized industry), as they use reinforced concrete pressure vessels instead of steel ones. Reinforced concrete is actually safer than steel in some respects, as it is less likely to suffer catastrophic failure than concrete.
Canada is interesting for having many of the facilities used in the Manhattan Project. The vast uranium mines and hydropower facilities of Canada also supplied uranium and heavy water for the British and United States nuclear programs throughout the Cold War. Canada also developed the CANDU heavy water reactor, notable for being the only Western nuclear reactor to have seen widespread export that isn't from an American company. Interestingly, CANDU is based on a design that was first experimented with by the United States Atomic Energy Commission, only to later be developed by Canada.
Australia at one point was concerned about its neighbors falling to communism, and attempted to acquire a turnkey nuclear weapons force from the United Kingdom in the 1950s. It also has vast quantities of uranium and other fissile materials. South Africa is similar, but of course actually built a small nuclear weapons arsenal.
Among former colonies, India and Pakistan could be major markets for a Commonwealth design. They could even be popular outside of the former colonies as a more neutral option compared to buying from the Soviet Union or the United States.
Clearly, there was a sizable market for nuclear power in the Commonwealth, although diverse needs. There could also have been a large market if the Commonwealth was perceived as a more neutral option relative to purchasing from the Soviet Union or the United States. Could the Commonwealth have come together to develop their own standard for nuclear power technology, perhaps even securing the lucrative Western European market?
Also, for an even larger program, one likely requiring a much stronger post-World War II Commonwealth, what might parallels to Project Plowshare, Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy, NS Savannah, NERVA, and NEPA have looked like, if they had been pursued?
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and South Africa all pioneered or had interest in nuclear technology. For example, the United Kingdom pioneered commercial nuclear power at Calder Hall, although the Magnox reactors were primarily build to produce plutonium for the nuclear program. Calder Hall and efforts in the Soviet Union led the United States to grow concerned about losing the nuclear energy race, as it was thought they would prove powerful for soft power initiatives in the third world. Also, later in the late 1950s British and French gas cooled reactors were considered to be the most advanced in the world, with many states in Western Europe and elsewhere considering ordering them. This ended with the 1958 EURATOM Agreement, which led to most of Western Europe adopting American pressurized light water reactors, including France. The United Kingdom held out to work on gas cooled reactors, including the advanced gas cooled reactor design, but eventually adopted pressurized light water technology. Gas cooled reactors are interesting in that they have the potential for greater efficiency relative to other designs, due to the use of the Brayton cycle. They may also be less expensive and require less advanced industry to construct (or at least less specialized industry), as they use reinforced concrete pressure vessels instead of steel ones. Reinforced concrete is actually safer than steel in some respects, as it is less likely to suffer catastrophic failure than concrete.
Canada is interesting for having many of the facilities used in the Manhattan Project. The vast uranium mines and hydropower facilities of Canada also supplied uranium and heavy water for the British and United States nuclear programs throughout the Cold War. Canada also developed the CANDU heavy water reactor, notable for being the only Western nuclear reactor to have seen widespread export that isn't from an American company. Interestingly, CANDU is based on a design that was first experimented with by the United States Atomic Energy Commission, only to later be developed by Canada.
Australia at one point was concerned about its neighbors falling to communism, and attempted to acquire a turnkey nuclear weapons force from the United Kingdom in the 1950s. It also has vast quantities of uranium and other fissile materials. South Africa is similar, but of course actually built a small nuclear weapons arsenal.
Among former colonies, India and Pakistan could be major markets for a Commonwealth design. They could even be popular outside of the former colonies as a more neutral option compared to buying from the Soviet Union or the United States.
Clearly, there was a sizable market for nuclear power in the Commonwealth, although diverse needs. There could also have been a large market if the Commonwealth was perceived as a more neutral option relative to purchasing from the Soviet Union or the United States. Could the Commonwealth have come together to develop their own standard for nuclear power technology, perhaps even securing the lucrative Western European market?
Also, for an even larger program, one likely requiring a much stronger post-World War II Commonwealth, what might parallels to Project Plowshare, Nuclear Explosions for the National Economy, NS Savannah, NERVA, and NEPA have looked like, if they had been pursued?
