U.S. Plans To Upgrade B61 Airborne Nuclear Bomb

The U.S. has embarked on a multi-billion-dollar plan to maintain its nuclear deterrent by improving its nuclear bombs. The B61 airborne nuclear bomb with its intermediate-yield thermonuclear warhead has been given the go-ahead for an upgrade by the National Nuclear Security Administration. RT reports: The decision taken by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) authorized the program to enter a post-engineering phase, which comes after four years of work. This now means that the first upgraded bombs are set to roll out by 2020. The B61 has been the principal US airborne nuclear bomb since 1968, when the first version was commissioned. With some of the modifications being canceled over the years and others withdrawn from use, only models 3,4,7,11 and 12 are currently in active service. “Reaching this next phase of the B61-12 LEP is a major achievement for NNSA and the exceptionally talented scientists and engineers whose work underpins this vital national security mission,” NNSA Administrator Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz (Ret.) said in a statement. “Currently, the B61 contains the oldest components in the US arsenal. This LEP (life extension program) will add at least an additional 20 years to the life of the system,” he added. [...]