The US Division of Protection introduced on Friday the challenge to improve its fundamental nuclear gravity bomb. The Nationwide Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) on the Division of Vitality would develop the B61-13 munition, pending the approval and funding by Congress.
“The B61-13 represents an affordable step to handle the challenges of a extremely dynamic safety surroundings,” mentioned Assistant Secretary of Protection for House Coverage John Plumb. “Whereas it gives us with further flexibility, manufacturing of the B61-13 won’t improve the general variety of weapons in our nuclear stockpile.”
Plumb described the announcement as “reflective of a altering safety surroundings and rising threats from potential adversaries.” The Pentagon, nonetheless, insisted that the choice was not made in response to “any particular present occasion” however “displays an ongoing evaluation” of the safety surroundings, as described within the 2022 Nuclear Posture Assessment.
In keeping with the Pentagon, the B61-13 challenge would use the established manufacturing capabilities supporting the B61-12, with the “trendy security, safety, and accuracy options” of that munition, however the a lot increased yield of the B61-7 mannequin.
Whereas the B61-12 is a tactical weapon, with a yield starting from 0.3 to 50 kilotons, the B61-7 is a strategic bomb that goes as much as 340 KT. In keeping with the navy newspaper Stars and Stripes, the most recent variant might substitute among the B61-7s in addition to the B83, which is because of be retired quickly.
First designed in 1963, the B61 is the first air-dropped thermonuclear weapon within the US arsenal. Along with the B1B-Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress bombers, the bomb may also be carried by the F-15 and F-16 tactical assault jets. The F-35 has additionally been testing the aptitude to hold and deploy the bomb, although it’s not formally rated for it but.
Air-dropped nuclear weapons are one leg of the so-called Nuclear Triad, the opposite two being intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) based mostly both on land or on board particular submarines. A current report by the congressional Strategic Posture Fee urged a large enlargement of each the traditional US navy and the “triad,” to be able to deal with a possible warfare with Russia and China on the identical time.
In keeping with the Federation of American Scientists, a Washington nonprofit that tracks nuclear arsenals, the US presently has round 5,200 atomic weapons in service, whereas Russia has virtually 5,900.
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