The US has completed assembly of its first B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb, almost a year ahead of its scheduled production and about two years after the program was launched.
Its production timeline was accelerated by more than 25 percent, “while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security, and without disrupting our other six modernization programs,” said Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs David Hoagland.
In addition, its finished assembly follows five months after the US completed a $9-billion upgrade of the B61-12 bombs in service for more than 50 years.
This milestone marks the B61-13 gravity bomb as one of the most rapidly fielded weapons in US history since the Cold War, strengthening Washington’s nuclear deterrence amid global tensions.
