(DailyDig.com) – On October 27, the Pentagon revealed that it was seeking authorization and financing to develop a new version of the B61 nuclear gravitational weapon, to be known as the B61-13.
The maximal output of the B61-7 is 360 kilotons, and that is about what we may expect from the B61-13 as well. The bomb that was detonated during World War II on Hiroshima, Japan, had an estimated yield of 15 kilotons; therefore, this load is 24 times more powerful. The B61-13 would be around 14 times more powerful than the 25 kiloton bomb that was unleashed on Nagasaki.
The increased dangers from prospective enemies and the shifting security environment are reflected in the statement, per John Plumb, space policy assistant secretary of defense. When it comes to deterring and possibly responding to strategic strikes, the United States must continue to ensure its friends by determining and deploying the appropriate capabilities.
The B61-12’s cutting-edge pinpoint precision, security, and safeguards will all be included in the new, potent bomb.
The United States performed a high-explosive exercise at a nuclear testing facility in Nevada a few weeks ago, due to the escalating tensions across the world. A National Nuclear Security Administration deputy administrator, Corey Hinderstein, has said that the purpose of the test was to further efforts to develop new technologies to support U.S. nonproliferation aims for nuclear weapons.
He said the research will improve the detection of subterranean nuclear explosion testing, hence reducing global nuclear risks.
The new bomb will be intended to provide the president with choices for striking hard and wide-area military targets, and it will be transportable by current aircraft.
If authorized, the weapon would be used as a replacement for some of the existing B61-7s in the United States’ nuclear arsenal, rather than add to it.
Plumb said the B61-13 is a practical measure for dealing with the uncertainties of today’s complex security landscape. Our nuclear arsenal will not grow as a result of B61-13 manufacturing, although it will provide us with more options.
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