Reference News website reported on May 12 that according to a report by RT on May 8, the US nuclear safety agency said that the United States plans to start producing its newest thermonuclear gravity bomb.

The B61-13 nuclear bomb will be an improved version of the B61 nuclear bomb that began full-scale production in 1968, equipped with updated electronics and control functions such as tail kits, which can effectively turn it into a guided weapon. According to Fox News Channel reports, the maximum yield of this nuclear bomb is about 360 kilotons, 24 times the yield of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the United States.

Acting Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration Teresa Robbins told Congress on the 7th, "The National Nuclear Security Administration expects to achieve the first production of B61-13 later this month, which is nearly a full year ahead of schedule."

She added that full-scale production is expected to begin in late fiscal year 2025.

She further stated that this nuclear bomb "will provide the president with additional options for certain more difficult and large-scale military targets, strengthening deterrence and security."

In January this year, Washington began deploying an earlier version of this nuclear bomb, the B61-12, at some US military bases in Europe.

During his first term as president, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, citing Russia's non-compliance with the treaty. Moscow condemned this move and denied the allegations.

In 2024, after Biden, Trump's predecessor, allowed Ukraine to use American missiles for long-range cross-border strikes against Russia, Moscow revised its nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. According to the new nuclear policy, any attack by a non-nuclear country supported by a nuclear-armed state against Russia will be considered a joint attack by both countries on Russia. In this case, Russia has the right to retaliate with nuclear weapons against the relevant countries. (Compiled/Clayton)

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503393961672622642/

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