DOD Sets Eyes on New Nuclear Gravity Bomb
The B61-13 bomb variant would be deliverable by modern aircraft, more accurate, and replace some of the B61-7s in the nuclear stockpile, defense officials said.
The 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron test loads a nuclear-capable weapons delivery system—an unarmed B61-12— for the B-2 Spirit bomber on June 13, 2022 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Devan Halstead]
The Department of Defense wants a new B61 nuclear gravity bomb that's deliverable by modern aircraft in order to keep pace with an evolving security threat, according to Pentagon officials.
The new variant, which would be designated as B61-13, would replace some of the nuclear stockpile, such as the B61-7, with a more accurate bomb against "certain harder and large-area military targets," the DOD said Friday.
The B61-13 variant would have a yield similar to the older B61-7 variant, which is higher than the more recent B61-12 variant, the DOD said.
The DOD also wants the new bomb variant to be compatible with more modern aircraft, such as the B-21 Raider. In 2020, the F-15E became the first fighter jet certified to carry the most recent warhead redesign, the B61-12.
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"[This] announcement is reflective of a changing security environment and growing threats from potential adversaries," said John Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, in a statement. "The United States has a responsibility to continue to assess and field the capabilities we need to credibly deter and, if necessary, respond to strategic attacks and assure our allies."
Following Congressional authorization and appropriation, the new variant would be produced by the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration.
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