The U.S. has kicked off the production of its latest nuclear bomb, the B61-13, a full seven months ahead of the initial schedule. This development might unsettle citizens amid escalating tensions with countries like Russia and China in recent times.
The B61-13 boasts a maximum yield of 360 kilotons, which is 24 times the power of the bomb unleashed on Hiroshima back in 1945, and its development comes after US President Donald Trump boasted about the United States’ nuclear capabilities.
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They declared: “Responding to a critical challenge and urgent need, the B61-13 program used innovative program planning that resulted in projected delivery seven months earlier than expected, a more than 25% decrease in overall time to first production unit.
“The B61-13 team reprioritized qualification activities, planned tests with U.S. Air Force stakeholders, and jointly completed requirements with Los Alamos National Laboratory and NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration).”
Back when the new bomb was unveiled in 2023, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb remarked: “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.”
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The bomb is expected to be deployable by strategic aircraft like the forthcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber and potentially the retiring B-2 Spirit.
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Earlier this year in January, a large-scale military exercise was conducted in New York to ready US troops for a potential World War III scenario.
* Orifginal Article:
https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/donald-trump-usa-nuclear-bomb-35014715.amp