The US delivered its first B61-13 nuclear bomb nearly a year early. With enhanced yield and precision, it modernizes a key part of the nuclear triad amid rising global tensions.
The United States military received its first B61-13 gravity bomb this week, the newest version in “the B61 family of nuclear weapons,” the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) announced.
The delivery was nearly a year ahead of its “original target date,” but also “less than two years after the program was announced.”
According to the NNSA, “the B61-13 [is] one of the most rapidly developed and fielded weapons since the Cold War.”
The B61 has been in service for more than five decades, making it both the “oldest” and “most versatile weapon” in the United States’ nuclear weapon stockpile. When it was announced in 2023, it was expected to deliver around 360 kilotons of destructive power, roughly 21 times the yield of the first atomic bomb (Little Boy) that was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima nearly 80 years ago in August 1945.
“Modernizing America’s nuclear stockpile is essential to delivering President Trump’s peace through strength agenda,” explained Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
“The remarkable speed of the B61-13’s production is a testament to the ingenuity of our scientists and engineers and the urgency we face to fortify deterrence in a volatile new age. It was my honor today to stamp the first completed unit at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, where all the efforts of NNSA’s labs, plants, and sites culminated in this fantastic milestone. This achievement signals American strength to our adversaries and allies alike.”
Secretary Wright officially approved the first B-61-13 unit at the Pantex assembly facility northeast of Amarillo, Texas.
“Pantex welcomed @ENERGY Secretary Chris Wright to Pantex! We were honored to showcase the incredible work of our team and give him a tour of the nation’s primary nuclear weapon assembly and disassembly facility. #PantexProud,” the facility posted on X while sharing event images.
The B61-13 Is a Key Component of the Nuclear Triad
Though more than 50 years old, the B61 remains a key component of the United States military’s nuclear triad. As NNSA explained, it is also “one of seven ongoing warhead modernization programs” to “ensure the reliability and effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile.”
In January, the agency completed a program to keep the previous B61-12 nuclear bomb in service for decades to come.
The B61-12 Life Extension Program (LEP) was initiated in 2008, with a specific focus on upgrading the family of B61 gravity bombs, “which are deployed from US Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) bases.”
The latest modification of the original bomb, the B61-12, is a twelve-foot-long, approximately 825-pound, air-launched nuclear gravity bomb that utilizes an inertial navigation system (INS) to make a precision strike on a target.
The B61-13 further builds on B61-12, offering the same level of safety, security, and accuracy as the former version but with a higher yield, “oriented to the defeat of certain harder and large-area military targets.”
Moreover, the newest model, like all of those in the B-61 family, can be delivered by a range of fighter and bomber aircraft, including the US Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16C/D Fighting Falcon, where the nuclear weapon can be carried externally, while it also certified to be taken on the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber and the F-35A Lightning II.
“The B61-13 will only be certified for delivery by strategic bomber aircraft and deployed from bases in the continental United States,” NNSA confirmed.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons/U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Callie Norton.
