US: First Test of Upgraded Nuclear Bomb a Success

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nnsanews/5600688406/in/photolist-fQoWkP-fQoVxK-fQoX2r-hptM9v-hpsTzj-hpsmnv-hpsT2L-hptLDc-efi8X1-dL87MA-dL86wY-dL2pNc-dL7Tcq-dL2q1e-dL2A3D-dtakoN-dta9nz-dsWRXd-dsWFoz-dsWAVB-dsWvYZ-dsWHoC-dsWw8X-dsWwkD-dho6eQ-dho19T-dhnZvq-dhoKtF-dhoL8f-dhoM1A-dhoMzi-dhoLuc-dhoLHv-dahnYr-dahqW4-dahqL1-dahmX4-dahp7z-ceK239-ceK1Z1-bXnArB-bkRGQ7-d5V8km-9wUZy9-9wS18x-9wUZxA-9wUZxd-7h1tbB-7h1t9T-9cQMdkFrom Susan Montoya Bryan, AP:  Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights involving an upgraded version of a nuclear bomb that has been part of the US arsenal for decades….

An F-16 from Nellis Air Force Base dropped an inert version of the weapon over the Nevada desert last month to test its non-nuclear functions as well as the plane’s ability to carry the [B61-12] bomb.

With a mere puff of dust, the mock bomb landed in a dry lake bed at the Tonopah Test Range.

“It’s great to see things all come together: the weapon design, the test preparation, the aircraft, the range and the people who made it happen,” Anna Schauer, director of Sandia’s Stockpile Resource Center, said in a statement.

More test flights are planned over the next three years, and officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration said the first production unit of the B61-12 — developed under what is called the Life Extension Program — is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

The B61-12 consolidates and replaces four older versions in the nation’s nuclear arsenal. It’s outfitted with a new tail-kit assembly and other hardware.

From airforce-technology.com:  Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) Air-Delivered Capabilities director Paul Waugh said: “The B61-12 gravity bomb ensures the current capability for the air-delivered leg of the US strategic nuclear triad well into the future for both bombers and dual-capable aircraft supporting North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).”

The new B61-12 bomb will be compatible with the B-2A, B-21, F-15E, F-16C/D, F-16 MLU, F-35 and PA-200 aircraft.

Image: A B-2 stealth bomber delivering an inert B61 tactical nuclear bomb during test in Nevada, April 8, 2011 (photo: National Nuclear Security Administration)