US Prepares for New Production of Thermonuclear Bombs
B61-13 air-dropped munitions are anticipated to begin full production later this year. The United States is set to commence the first production of its latest thermonuclear gravity bomb variant next month, as reported by the country’s nuclear...
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B61-13 air-dropped munitions are anticipated to begin full production later this year.
The United States is set to commence the first production of its latest thermonuclear gravity bomb variant next month, as reported by the country’s nuclear security agency.
The B61-13 represents a modified version of the B61 warheads, which reached full production in 1968, enhanced with modern electronics and features such as a tail kit, effectively converting it into a guided weapon. The bomb's maximum yield is approximately 360 kilotons, which is 24 times the yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to Fox News.
“The NNSA anticipates achieving the first production unit for the B61 Mod 13 later this month, almost a full year ahead of schedule,” stated Teresa Robbins, acting head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, during a session with Congress on Wednesday.
Robbins indicated that full-scale production is expected to start later in the 2025 fiscal year.
The bomb “strengthens deterrence and assurance by providing the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets,” she noted.
In January, Washington initiated the deployment of the previous variant, the B61-12, at US bases across Europe.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump identified nuclear weapons as the most significant existential threat to humanity. In March, he urged nuclear powers to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
“It would be great if we could all denuclearize, because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy,” he remarked to reporters. “I would very much like to start those talks.”
During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, citing non-compliance by Russia. Moscow has denounced this withdrawal and refuted the claims of non-compliance.
In 2024, following Trump’s successor Joe Biden permitting Ukraine to utilize US missiles in long-range cross-border strikes against Russia, Moscow revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering its acceptable threshold for nuclear weapon use. Under this new doctrine, any assault on Russia by a non-nuclear-armed state, supported by a nuclear state, will be regarded as a direct attack by both, enabling Moscow to respond with nuclear weapons.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
The United States is set to commence the first production of its latest thermonuclear gravity bomb variant next month, as reported by the country’s nuclear security agency.
The B61-13 represents a modified version of the B61 warheads, which reached full production in 1968, enhanced with modern electronics and features such as a tail kit, effectively converting it into a guided weapon. The bomb's maximum yield is approximately 360 kilotons, which is 24 times the yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, according to Fox News.
“The NNSA anticipates achieving the first production unit for the B61 Mod 13 later this month, almost a full year ahead of schedule,” stated Teresa Robbins, acting head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, during a session with Congress on Wednesday.
Robbins indicated that full-scale production is expected to start later in the 2025 fiscal year.
The bomb “strengthens deterrence and assurance by providing the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets,” she noted.
In January, Washington initiated the deployment of the previous variant, the B61-12, at US bases across Europe.
Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump identified nuclear weapons as the most significant existential threat to humanity. In March, he urged nuclear powers to eliminate their nuclear arsenals.
“It would be great if we could all denuclearize, because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy,” he remarked to reporters. “I would very much like to start those talks.”
During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, citing non-compliance by Russia. Moscow has denounced this withdrawal and refuted the claims of non-compliance.
In 2024, following Trump’s successor Joe Biden permitting Ukraine to utilize US missiles in long-range cross-border strikes against Russia, Moscow revised its nuclear doctrine, lowering its acceptable threshold for nuclear weapon use. Under this new doctrine, any assault on Russia by a non-nuclear-armed state, supported by a nuclear state, will be regarded as a direct attack by both, enabling Moscow to respond with nuclear weapons.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
