The US has completed a $9 billion plan to upgrade its B61 nuclear air-dropped gravity bombs to the latest variant, known as the B61-12, The Defense Post reported on Wednesday.
Under NATO’s nuclear sharing program, the US has B61 bombs deployed to US Air Force bases as well as bases in European NATO countries. Under NATO’s nuclear sharing program, B61 bombs are deployed in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Turkey.
POLITICO reported back in 2022 that the US had accelerated the upgrade of the B61 bombs in Europe amid heightened tensions with Russia.
The Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) said in a press release on Tuesday that the “B61-12 Life Extension Program” was completed on December 18, 2024. The NNSA said the upgrade “extends the service life by at least 20 years through refurbishing, reusing, or replacing all the bomb’s nuclear and non-nuclear components.”
The B61-12 is said to be lighter and more accurate than the previous variant. “The B61 family of bombs has over 50 years of service, making it the oldest and most versatile weapon in the enduring US nuclear weapon stockpile,” the NNSA said.
The upgrade of the B61 is part of the US’s modernization of its nuclear triad, a project that has a huge price tag. According to Arms Control Today, the NNSA will spend an estimated $650 billion over the next 25 years, and modernizing all of the US’s nuclear forces will cost a total of $1.5 trillion.
The US is already in the process of developing its next B61 variant, the B61-13. “With production of the B61-12 LEP now complete, NNSA will transition to producing the B61-13 bomb, which will leverage the current, established production capabilities supporting the B61-12,” the NNSA said.
