By Hans M. Kristensen, Robert S. Norris, May 1, 2014
The Obama administration has approved an upgrade to the B61 nuclear bomb that will, through use of a new tail kit assembly, become a guided standoff nuclear bomb. If the upgrade—the 12th modification of the original B61 design—is pursued as planned, the US Air Force will obtain the low-yield, precision-guided nuclear weapon it first sought in the 1990s, despite concerns that it could increase the likelihood of use. The weapon’s overall price tag is expected to exceed $10 billion, with each B61-12 estimated to cost more than the value of its weight in gold.
Read more: The B61 family of nuclear bombs
Issue: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Volume 70 Issue 3
Keywords: B61, gravity bomb, guided standoff bomb, nuclear bomb
Topics: Nuclear Notebook
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