The US Gravity Nuclear Bomb Will Become a NATO Weapon, More Powerful tha...

US B61-12 Gravity Nuclear Bomb Will Become NATO Weapon, Stronger Than Hiroshima Bomb.

Saturday, October 29, 2022.

BRUSSELS - The B61-12 gravity nuclear bomb made in the United States (US) will become NATO's new weapon. One of the variants of this weapon has a more powerful explosive power than the atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.

Washington is speeding up deliveries of the highly precision-guided tactical nuclear weapons to Europe amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West.

U.S. officials told NATO allies during a closed-door meeting in Brussels that the B61-12 gravity bomb was scheduled to be ready for Spring 2023, but is now moving forward to December this year.

The new thermonuclear bomb is a "dial-a-yield" device and is one of the most versatile in the US arsenal as its explosive power can be increased or decreased depending on the target.

Defense specialist magazine, National Interest, called the bomb the most powerful nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.

"What makes the B61-12 bomb the most dangerous nuclear weapon in America's arsenal is its utility. This usefulness comes from a combination of accuracy and low yield," the defense magazine report, quoted by The Mirror, Saturday (29/10/2022). ).

"In terms of the former, the B61-12 is America's first nuclear-guided bomb."

The magazine, citing an expert, added: "Making a weapon twice as accurate has the same lethal effect as making a warhead eight times more powerful."

The B61-12 has four blast yields to choose from, namely 0.3, 1.5, 10 or 50 kilotons.

In comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 produced an explosion of about 15 kilotons with the death toll of hundreds of thousands of people.

Gravity nuclear bombs will replace old weapons at storage facilities in Europe for potential use by US and allied bombers and fighter jets.

The weapon uses an inertial navigation system to achieve a high kill probability.

The US plan to add a gravity nuclear bomb to NATO's arsenal comes as countries in the West are concerned about Russia's threat to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and amid growing concerns that the West needs to do more to prevent Moscow from crossing that line.

Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said: "While we will not go into the details of our nuclear arsenal, the modernization of the US B61 nuclear weapon has been ongoing for years and plans to safely and responsibly swap older weapons for older versions of the weapons. The upgraded B61-12 is part of a long-planned and scheduled modernization effort.”

"This has absolutely nothing to do with current events in Ukraine," he said.

Politico, the US-based media outlet, reported Washington's move was aimed more at NATO countries than Russia—to reassure allies when they felt seriously threatened by Russia.

Currently, the US has 100 units of old B61 bombs stored at bases in European countries including Germany and Italy.

The new bombs will be able to be dropped from a variety of aircraft including the B-2 stealth bomber, and smaller fighters such as the F-15, Tornado, and F-35 stealth fighter.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Britain, in particular former prime minister Liz Truss, for initiating nuclear provocations.

Putin claims to have never said anything proactively about Russia's possible use of nuclear weapons.

"The Kremlin only hinted in response to statements made by Western leaders," he said.

source : international.sindonews.com

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