Egyptian nuclear weapons program

Could Nasser after the Suez Crisis decide to try to get nuclear weapons

How successfully would a Egyptian program be

Would Israel be able to bomb any nuclear facilities during the 1950s or 1960s

What would be the regional impact of Egyptian nuke
 
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1) Not very. And before you say but but, Pakistan and North Korea both countries have a much bigger industrial base and scientific establishment than Egypt (especially Pakistan).
2. Probably not.
3. Like the subcontinent. A cold peace.
 
They would need a lot of help and I doubt either the Soviets or the Americans would be willing to give it.
 
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Potentially the Egyptians could eventually get nukes, maybe by getting buddy-buddy with Mao/the CCP, but IMO the U.S. would buy them off or threaten war and it'd be the end of it.
 

Kaze

Banned
The problem would be the Mossad - Accidents DO happen.

The regional impact would be the same as Israel's nuclear weapons - a very cold peace (CIA estimates put they have between 20 and 80+).
 
A good POD might be killing this guy

France has its nuclear program going on during this time and seemingly wouldn't be averse to having a junior partner if it could get one. A more right-wing France that decides it wants to cling to Algeria would really really want Egypt to stop backing the FLN and would be willing to trade significant concessions for it (thus having more reason to cut them in) and a more left-wing France that grants immediate independence would be more willing to make France's historical pro-Arab pivot a couple of years early (which historically took place right about the same time that Egypt scaled back its nuclear program due to economic troubles and put the nail in the coffin of the whole thing). Egypt did have a fair few nuclear scientists and actually seems to have quite a bit of uranium, so it's not as if they have nothing to offer provided that those resources are found by the 60s (which could happen since prospecting was well underway by then)
 
I'm not exactly sure on this logic myself either. Distance certainly didn't stop them vs Iraq's nuclear program.

There's another consideration. Early on, Israel didn't have the high degree of air superiority it had later. In 1956 it wanted France and Britain to neutralize the EAF or its troops might've been too vulnerable to air attack in Sinai.
 
The problem would be the Mossad - Accidents DO happen.

The regional impact would be the same as Israel's nuclear weapons - a very cold peace (CIA estimates put they have between 20 and 80+).

As Gerald Bull and any number of scientist/engineers could testify from their premature though predictable early graves. Don't work on projects for countries that might threaten Israel, not if you want to collect your pension and gold watch.
 
1950's versus 1980. No long range F16 and F15 in the mid-1950s.

The Israeli's wouldn't need much range, they did have a number of Vautour's in service and if they really wanted a longer ranged bomber could no doubt have persuaded the UK to sell them some Canberra's or pried some F84's and some tankers from the US. With Tankers they could have done a shorter range version of Operation Wooden Leg even if the programme was based in the Western Desert
 
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