The United States has begun deploying modified nuclear bombs B61 in the B61-12 version in European countries. Reports TSN. This information was shared by Kontrakty.UA.
According to the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Jill Gruby, "The new B61-12 bombs are being deployed in full scale at the forward positions."
The U.S. Department of Defense received the latest batch of these bombs in December of last year. The exact number of bombs produced has not been disclosed.
It is reported that the new B61-12 bombs, after modernization, have a lower yield (0.3-50 kilotons). However, this is offset by a new tail fin design, which makes the bomb guided and more precise, allowing it to be released directly from the aircraft without a parachute, enabling it to fly autonomously for many kilometers towards the target. Additionally, there is an option to adjust the bomb's flight after release.
In 2023, approximately 100 older variants of the tactical B61 bombs - B61-3/-4 were stored in Europe. There were 15 nuclear bombs stationed at airbases in Büchel, Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany), Kleine-Brogel (Belgium), Volkel (Netherlands), and Ghedi (Italy), with 20 bombs at the Aviano (Italy) and Incirlik (Turkey) airbases. These bombs can be dropped from F-35A, F-15E, F-16, and Tornado aircraft.
Recall that it was previously reported that Biden discussed scenarios for strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.
Furthermore, we previously informed that Russia is preparing to deploy missiles with nuclear warheads that can strike distances from 500 to 5500 km.