DOD Sets Eyes on New Nuclear Gravity Bomb

The B61-13 bomb variant would be deliverable by modern aircraft, more accurate, and replace some of the B61-7s in the nuclear stockpile, defense officials said.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, October 30, 2023 at 12:51 PM ET

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The 72nd Test and Evaluation Squadron test loads a nuclear-capable weapons delivery system—an unarmed B61-12— for the B-2 Spirit bomber on June 13, 2022 at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Devan Halstead]

Key Takeaways:

The Department of Defense plans to develop a new B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb variant to address evolving security threats.
This new bomb is designed to replace older variants like the B61-7, offering increased accuracy against certain military targets and compatibility with modern aircraft like the B-21 Raider.
The B61-13 will have a yield similar to the older B61-7 variant, which is higher than the more recent B61-12 variant.

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The Department of Defense wants a new B61 nuclear gravity bomb that’s deliverable by modern aircraft in order to keep pace with an evolving security threat, according to Pentagon officials.

The new variant, which would be designated as B61-13, would replace some of the nuclear stockpile, such as the B61-7, with a more accurate bomb against “certain harder and large-area military targets,” the DOD said Friday.