[Source/Observer Network, Wang Shiping] According to a May 19 report from the U.S. military website "The War Zone," the U.S. Department of Energy said that the first live B61-13 nuclear bomb was completed ahead of schedule by about one year. The maximum yield of the B61-13 will be consistent with the B61-7 it plans to replace, and the maximum yield of the B61-7 is 360,000 tons.

The U.S. has developed several models of the B-61 nuclear bombs, but the B61-13 can only be dropped by strategic bombers and will only be stored at U.S. mainland bases, unlike the B61-12, which can be dropped by fighter jets and can be stored in European countries' bases.

B61-13 Nuclear Bomb War Zone

Acting Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy, Teresa Robbins, disclosed on May 7 at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives that the United States plans to begin mass production of its latest B61-13 nuclear bomb in late May.

The B61-13 nuclear bomb is developed based on the previous B61-12 nuclear bomb, but provides a higher explosive yield compared to it. U.S. officials said this provides important additional capabilities for targeting hardened targets such as underground command facilities.

The United States is the largest tactical nuclear weapons country in the world. According to the provisions of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, the U.S. military retains 400-500 B-61 and B-83 bombs. The B61-13 nuclear bomb can obtain the "old kit" modification, "so the U.S. can gain stronger nuclear strike capabilities without increasing the number of nuclear weapons."

It was reported that the decision to produce the B61-13 nuclear bomb was made by the Biden administration in 2023. This model missile is mainly intended to replace the B61-7 nuclear bomb. Previously, the United States planned to use the B61-12 to replace the B61-7, B61-3, and B61-4 nuclear bombs.

From the published photos, the appearance of the B61-13 is basically consistent with that of the B61-12. A significant feature of the B61-13 is the same tail kit assembly (TKA) introduced in the B61-12, which contains an inertial navigation system (INS) guidance component.

The National Nuclear Security Administration of the United States said that the B61-13 integrates modern safety, security, and precision features identical to those of the B61-12. The biggest difference between the two lies in the yield. Although the exact data remains confidential, the U.S. government stated that the maximum yield of the B61-13 will be consistent with the B61-7 it plans to replace, with the maximum yield of the B61-7 being 360,000 tons, while the yield of the B61-12 is 300 to 50,000 tons.

The National Interest bimonthly website once introduced that the B61-13 nuclear bomb has an explosive yield 21 times that of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima in 1945. Since its proposal in 2023, the U.S. decision to produce this nuclear bomb has been criticized by many experts at home and abroad who advocate further reducing global nuclear weapons.

In addition, unlike the B61-12 certified for use by the U.S. F-15E "Strike Eagle" and F-35A, the B61-13 nuclear bomb will be exclusively used by the B-2 "Spirit" and the upcoming B-21 "Raider" stealth bombers.

This article is an exclusive article of the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506822363959280140/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You are welcome to express your opinions by clicking the "Like/Dislike" button below.