Written Question·Ministry of Defence·UIN 115408
Nuclear Weapons: Testing
Tabled: 24 February 2026
Answered: 3 March 2026
Named DayQuestion
Emma Lewell
Labour — South Shields
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the recent declassification of the Merlin database and file reference ES 38/ZGWGV, whether service personnel took part in a mission to sample the Soviet nuclear weapon known as Tsar Bomba.
Answer
Louise Sandher-JonesThe information in ES38/ZGWGV suggests that Service personnel were involved in at least one sampling sortie after the Tsar Bomba test in October 1961. However, the unit records from this time are now held by The National Archives, and it is not possible t...
ⓘ
This is an extract from the Parliament API. Search the full answer on Parliament.uk (UIN 115408) →