In the United States began testing thermonuclear tactical bombs B61-12

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The Air Force and the US National Nuclear Security Administration continue to work on one of the main recent projects in the field of nuclear weapons. In early July, the first test reset of the tactical guided thermonuclear bomb B61-12 took place. On this weapon high hopes are pinned as this project is intended to be a major re-nomenclature aviation tactical US nuclear weapons.

The United States Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) a few days ago reported on the first test release of a new bomb. According to official data, the 1 in July, the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber dropped a prototype B61-12 bomb on a conditional target at the Tonopah (Nevada) test site. The test reset of the upgraded bomb was considered successful. At the same time, American experts are not in a hurry to publish the details of the tests. Most of the information about the new project is still closed to the public.

The B61-12 project has been implemented by several US companies since 2012. The purpose of this work is to create a new tactical thermonuclear bombs, which is a further development of ammunition family B61. Due to the use of new components it is planned to significantly improve the characteristics of such weapons. The main method of improving the characteristics, especially the accuracy of hitting the target, is to use a set of equipment with a homing system. Recall that the previous bombs of the B61 family were not equipped with any control systems that allow changing the flight path. Thus, the current project is really able to seriously improve the characteristics of bombs.


Dumping a prototype bomb. 1 July 2015 g. Photo by Nnsa.energy.gov


Through the implementation of the B61-12 project, the Pentagon intends to seriously change the nomenclature of tactical aircraft nuclear bombs. Currently, the United States Air Force has at once five B61 bomb modifications with different characteristics: B61-3, B61-4, B61-7, B61-10 and B61-11 are in service. After the development and adoption of the B61-12 bomb, the number of types of such weapons will be reduced to two. It is alleged that B61-12 will be able to replace all the bombs, with the exception of Mod. 11. Such a change in the nomenclature of aviation weapons should occur no later than the beginning of the next decade.

In a recent test, the F-15E fighter-bomber assigned to Nellis air base was used. All systems of the aircraft have worked in normal mode and allowed to successfully discharge the test bomb. A prototype of the B61-12 bomb, assembled using existing and new components, was hung on one of the pylons of the aircraft carrier. Thus, the bomb case and some internal systems, with the exception of the warhead (replaced by a weight simulator), were produced in the sixties of the last century. Various control system components supplied by Boeing were docked to the hull. As such, the new bomb was successfully dropped over the Tonopah proving ground.

July 1 held the first test dumping a new bomb. According to NNSA, two more drops should take place in this calendar year, but the exact dates have not yet been reported. It is expected that the three test dumps will collect all the necessary data that will help continue the work on the project. Based on the test results, by the beginning of the next year, a decision will be made to start the next phase of the project.

Funding for the design and testing of B61-12 bombs is provided for up to the 2018 fiscal year. By this time, it is planned to solve all the problems and prepare a modernized version of the bomb for the supply to the troops and the operation. It is assumed that the carriers of such weapons will be several existing and promising aircraft. The ability to use tactical thermonuclear bombs from the new model will be received by the F-15E, F-16, F-35A Block 4, PA-200 and B-2A aircraft.

The Pentagon’s plans have phased out existing B83 bombs. Upgrading bombs of the B61 family will make it possible to abandon the more powerful, but difficult to use types of weapons. At the same time, however, the B61-11 bombs will remain in service with the US Air Force. The fact is that this is a specialized weapon designed for solving specific problems. Unlike other bombs of the family, B61-11 has a kilo-ton power of 400 and is intended to attack enemy’s underground targets.

According to reports, the B61-11 project, which has been developed since 2012, is based on two main ideas designed to improve weapon performance. The first is the use of homing systems, which make it possible to increase the accuracy of the hit in comparison with the previous weapon of the family. The second original idea affects the power of the ammunition - it is planned to reduce it to the minimum necessary level.

In order to improve the accuracy of the hit, it was decided to equip the warhead of the B61 bomb with a set of equipment similar to the JDAM system. The latter is actively used by the US Air Force over the past years and receives good reviews. Now a similar system is proposed for use with thermonuclear warheads. During conversion, original equipment, such as a brake parachute bay or tail stabilizers, will be removed from the bomb, instead of which new equipment will be mounted.


The moment the prototype bomb hits a conventional target. 1 July 2015 g. Photo by Nnsa.energy.gov


According to reports, the bomb B61-12 received a combined guidance system. She will be able to use the GPS satellite navigation system or the inertial system. When using inertial navigation, a circular probable deviation of no more than 30 m should be provided. When using GPS, this parameter is expected to be at 5 m. For comparison, for free-falling B61 bombs, the circular probable deviation could reach 150-180 m.

Probably, the improved accuracy of the hit allowed the creators of the B61-12 project to reduce the maximum power of the warhead. Most of the B61 family bombs had the ability to change the power of the explosion. For example, the B61-3 product could be installed on an explosion with a capacity of 0,3 kt, 1,5 kt, 60 kt or 170 kt. The modification with the letter “4” had a power of 0,3 CT, 1,5 CT, 10 CT or 45 CT, which made it the most powerless of the whole family. According to reports, the B61-12 bomb will use a combat unit similar to the B61-4. In addition, there is information about the possibility of developing a more powerful modification of a controlled thermonuclear bomb.

Work on the current project B61-12 should be completed before the end of this decade. After that, probably, the enterprises of the American defense industry will begin refitting the existing B61 family thermonuclear bombs in the warehouses. Such work will allow decommissioning obsolete and already not meeting the requirements of several types of bombs, replacing them with weapons of one modification. In this case, a certain gain in the combat qualities of weapons will be obtained: despite the reduction in maximum power, the new B61-12 bomb due to guidance systems must be more effective in comparison with its predecessors.

July 1 held the first test dump prototype of a new bomb. By the end of the year, the US Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration plan to conduct two more such tests. Thus, new B61-12 project progress reports should appear over the next few months.


On the materials of the sites:
http://nnsa.energy.gov/
http://flightglobal.com/
http://lenta.ru/
http://rg.ru/
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  1. +3
    14 July 2015 07: 19
    So, another super modern atomic bomb from the greatest democrat Uncle Sam. Another proof of how "friendly" and "peaceful" this country is.
    1. +7
      14 July 2015 07: 32
      That is their right.
      When tests are being conducted in Russia and articles on Russian militarism appear in the West, I relate to this with a certain amount of sarcasm. As the saying goes, whose cow would moo. Scatter bases around the world, disperse the ACG and complain that Russia is aggressively behaving at the borders of NATO ?!
      But, bash on bash.
      Therefore, let them try. This is a bomb. The main thing is that our air defense has enough capabilities to get the carrier of this "ultramodern" bomb.
    2. -1
      14 July 2015 07: 52
      another super modern atomic bomb

      At least read an article? The bomb was assembled from various units, and so far it has been written with a pitchfork that it is ultramodern. If only to unsubscribe to the first, and more slogans, more slogans! fool
      1. +1
        14 July 2015 08: 03
        Have you read it yourself? Read also where it is written with letters, and not with a pitchfork. And how often do I first unsubscribe? And I don’t see the slogans in my comment, I simply expressed my attitude to this country.
        1. +3
          14 July 2015 08: 21
          Have you read it yourself? Read also where it is written with letters, and not with a pitchfork. And how often do I first unsubscribe? And I don’t see the slogans in my comment, I simply expressed my attitude to this country.

          I read it. From what was written in letters, I realized that from the free-falling one that was made in the 60s, they make the correction by vivisection. This is a common activity, and shows a rather sensible desire to save money and a desire not to scatter what is. About whether or not often - yes, I don’t follow you, it’s enough for me that I see in these comments.
          And finally, the phrase
          from the greatest Democrat Uncle Sam. Another proof of how "friendly" and "peaceful" this country is.
          is a set of stamps, and aims to maximize the plus sign. If it’s not clear even now, I won’t explain more.
      2. The comment was deleted.
      3. -3
        14 July 2015 08: 22
        So the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation expressed its opinion on the provocative testing of this bomb. And the cat understands that she is super modern. It is a pity that not all cats can appreciate this, for this you need to think with your head, and for some of them the whole brain in the tongue. lol
        1. +1
          14 July 2015 08: 32
          It’s clear to Kot that all supermodernity is
          the fact that the F-15E fighter-bomber was used as a nuclear weapon.
          . The cat does not dispute the provocation. Read carefully before minus, and write me compliments.
          1. The comment was deleted.
          2. -1
            14 July 2015 10: 18
            You are not mature enough to write compliments to you. And stop teaching others, it is better to engage in self-education if it is not too late. Rudeness does not decorate even a cat.
      4. 0
        14 July 2015 09: 35
        http://fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/publications1/IssueBrief_B61-12.pdf
        http://fas.org/blogs/security/2011/06/b61-12/
        http://fas.org/blogs/security/2014/01/b61capability/
        http://fas.org/blogs/security/?s=B61-12&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&post_type=post
        1. 0
          14 July 2015 09: 38
          conception of a bomb
          1. +1
            14 July 2015 09: 38
            conception of a bomb
            1. 0
              14 July 2015 09: 39
              bomb efficiency
              1. 0
                14 July 2015 09: 40
                bomb efficiency
    3. +3
      14 July 2015 07: 56
      And in 1983, the B-52 armada, with nuclear weapons on board, took off from bases in the United States and crawled across the pole to our borders.
      Now, the B-52 is expensive to drive through the pole, and there are not many of them left. But, thanks to the development of the Internet and the media, the same PR effect can be achieved by testing a new modification, ancient as a mammoth, the B61-12 nuclear bomb.
      As I understand it, everyone is aware that after 1983 it was not a global nuclear war, but something else ...
    4. +1
      14 July 2015 08: 36
      Quote: silver169
      So, another super modern atomic bomb from the greatest democrat Uncle Sam. Another proof of how "friendly" and "peaceful" this country is.

      It’s just that they didn’t play enough in Herosima and Nagasaki. Nothing, the test of Samat, Barguzin and the ICBM Rubezh cool the Amers.
    5. +1
      16 July 2015 12: 39
      Quote: silver169
      ... Another proof of how "friendly" and "peaceful" this country is.

      Are we not improving our means of delivering a nuclear charge? And what does "peacefulness" and "friendliness" have to do with it? A conventional bomb upgrade that's 50 years old! request
    6. 0
      16 July 2015 20: 21
      And the point in the "bomb" is when the enemy has no air defense. I understand ICBMs, CD, whom are they going to bomb? Papuans?
  2. +1
    14 July 2015 07: 27
    I got the impression that this bomb was assembled from what it was - the old case from the usual bomb, the JDAM kit, the filling from the old B61 and successfully passed off as the latest nuclear bomb. But I won’t understand what the difference is, will a nuclear warhead fall in 3 meters from the target or in 50 meters? One fig target will scatter into dust or at least cause unacceptable damage.
    What is the point then of such Frankenstein bombs?
    1. 0
      14 July 2015 07: 49
      Quote: Wedmak
      What is the point then of such Frankenstein bombs?

      Schaubers were afraid of FSE. Evil in the person of the Dark One does not sleep, and the forces of good diligently hammer the sword for a retaliatory strike. The blow, however, looks more like an attack, but who cares in the light of recent events. Mordor has already been appointed, the light elves are mobilizing. However, I have to repaint the elves, including the Nazis, but, I repeat, this no longer interests anyone, at least for now.
    2. +2
      14 July 2015 07: 57
      What is the point then of such Frankenstein bombs?

      In my opinion,
      The fact is that this is a specialized weapon designed to solve specific problems. Unlike other bombs in the family, the B61-11 has a capacity of 400 kilotons and is intended to attack underground enemy targets.
      . In this aspect, hit accuracy is very important.
    3. +1
      16 July 2015 12: 43
      Quote: Wedmak
      What is the point then of such Frankenstein bombs?

      Greater accuracy of hit, so you can reduce power.
  3. -1
    14 July 2015 07: 53
    It's time to announce the development of a controlled version of the AN-602 "Tsar Bomba" for the T-50!
    1. +4
      14 July 2015 08: 43
      The Tsar bomb has a weight of 26 tons or more. More precisely - 26.500. And the weight of the T-50 empty is 18.500. I'm afraid that it will not pull. And the length of the AN-602 product in 8 meters and the product width in 2 m 10 cm will not fit in the product where the height is 4.8 m and the length is 18 meters.
      1. 0
        14 July 2015 09: 06
        The main thing is to loudly declare "development", but how and where to push it, let the enemy break his head! PR and nothing else! And if they ask "stupid" questions, we will dismiss "nanotechnologies" and "new physical principles".
        1. +2
          14 July 2015 12: 51
          Quote: engineer74
          let's get rid of "nanotechnology"

          You should take a break from our public why rockets fall.
          1. -1
            14 July 2015 13: 21
            Everything is simple here: the change of generations, drawings and technologies remained, the people who made them left. And only its author has a complete understanding of the technology, and without him you will not feel all the nuances, and even IQ 200 units will not help! There will be "Angara" and this circus will stop by itself.
            IMHO
            PS From personal experience, they made a "product" of the 60s of development, at first, with all their computers, CAD-CAM-CAE, CNC, they got into a deep puddle. We got out of it only when the structure was redesigned for modern technologies.
            1. 0
              14 July 2015 18: 13
              Quote: engineer74
              There will be "Angara" and this circus will stop by itself.

              Will be? How's your industry order?
            2. 0
              16 July 2015 12: 51
              Quote: engineer74
              Everything is simple here: generational change, drawings and technologies .......

              And also bad roads, fools and the eternal Russian - "what to do?" and "who is to blame?" wink
        2. 0
          16 July 2015 12: 48
          Quote: engineer74
          ! And if they ask "stupid" questions, we will dismiss "nanotechnologies" and "new physical principles."

          I think they have real engineers, stupid questions will not be asked and an attempt to get rid of "nanotechnology" and "new physical principles" will cause a healthy laugh! laughing
  4. +13
    14 July 2015 09: 28
    On this occasion, I would like to tell one story (most likely invented from beginning to end, but what the hell is not joking while the angels sleep):
    “It happened in the late 1980s, during the Afghan war. In Kandahar, at the site where our helicopter pilots were based.
    In general, the bright sun hid behind the humpback ridges, and less than an hour later Kandahar plunged into darkness. Using the right moment, the evil Dushman mouse, clearly undergoing special training in the territory of neighboring Pakistan, moved towards the helicopter parking area, about to cut through the cover of darkness the most important wire in the Soviet helicopter. But the gray-striped cat Barsik did not doze off and, hearing a rustle in the night darkness, fearlessly rushed at the enemy. His friend and comrade, the local dog Rex, would also have rushed after a friend, but since he was sitting on a chain, he could only support Barsik with a bark. Standing on guard at the watch’s parking lot, Private Vasya Ivanov, having heard Rex’s loud and furious barking, abruptly stopped dreaming about a demobilization, removed his AKM from the fuse and, just in case, started up the machine gun burst in the direction the dog barked.
    His sergeant, sergeant Vanya Petrov, who was sleeping peacefully in the guardhouse and, again seeing an inevitable demobilization in a dream, heard the shooting, immediately woke up and darted into the trench to the PC machine gun, after which he began to sit in short bursts in the same direction where before shot the sentry. A machine gun is already solid and somewhere even serious.
    The head of the guard, senior lieutenant Petya Sidorov, not rushing to find out on the phone what exactly happened there, ordered his fighters: “In the gun!”
    And a minute later, the deserted space behind the barbed wire around the helipad began to pour lead with a large-caliber KPVT in the BTR-80 caponier, to which an 82-mm mortar joined. Ropes of tracer bullets darted over the dunes, mines were torn, lighting rockets took off, but no one saw the enemy ...
    “Comrade Captain, the helicopter neighbors are firing heavily!” - reported to the divisional artillerymen the alarm officer on duty from the CP of the local motorized rifle regiment.
    - Battery! High-explosive! Square! Distance! Aim! Eight shells! Runaway! - responded to the CP gunners.
    After a couple of minutes, the 122-mm howitzers rumbled deafeningly, covering with tears completely empty dunes around the heliports and take-offs.
    After about ten minutes, everything calmed down so that silence literally pressed on my ears.
    “It seems to be in full order,” the commander of the howitzer battery reported.
    And early in the morning, the Barsik cat put the corpse of a mouse under the door of the chief of staff.
    - Why did you use artillery? I could have done it myself, I would have taken the reptile alive! - Asked the cat’s look.
    In general, for success in combat and political training, the cat was awarded with a can of bulls in tomato, which he shared with his friend Rex ... "
    Such a story ...
    The moral of this story is that the escalation of any armed conflict is a very dangerous thing and usually this escalation occurs solely by the stupidity of the individuals involved in this conflict. So the Americans, having again begun testing nuclear weapons, pour gasoline on the already-extinguished bonfire of contradictions between this country and its main opponent in the international arena (and as it turns out the main threat to the world - B. Obama (C) - Russia.
    I have the honor.
    PS The story is not mine, where I took it - I do not remember.
    1. +1
      15 July 2015 21: 55
      Thank! Good story! laughing good hi
  5. 0
    14 July 2015 10: 07
    "thermonuclear tactical" ???
    Thermonuclear is a hydrogen bomb! Tactical cannot be hydrogen. The atomic bomb is more correct, though.
    1. -2
      14 July 2015 15: 32
      Do not say nonsense.
    2. 0
      14 July 2015 16: 04
      the energy of the explosion is taken from the fission. NUCLEUS- explosion NUCLEAR, if the energy is released from the interaction of atoms, then this is an atomic reaction. Chemists punish when nuclear power plants or explosions are called atomic
      1. 0
        14 July 2015 17: 49
        A nuclear bomb is called one in which energy is obtained from a chain reaction of fission of atomic nuclei under the influence of a neutron flux created by it.
        Thermonuclear, this is when energy is taken from the additional energy obtained by the fusion of the nuclei of light hydrogen isotopes, in the simplest case, deuterium and tritium. A nuclear explosion in such a bomb plays the role of a fuse. The power of the ammunition in both cases can be regulated within wide limits.
  6. +1
    14 July 2015 12: 08
    I did not quite understand the noise. The United States did not experience a nuclear or thermonuclear charge, but only a slightly improved design of this bomb i.e. disc. And what's so extraordinary about that. Conventional tests that do not violate international nuclear weapons testing treaties. Russia is preparing for itself, and they are preparing for themselves. The main thing is not to bring this training to such a state that both sides will begin to experience real nuclear weapons in a real combat situation. But everything goes to this.
  7. +1
    14 July 2015 13: 59
    Goodbye "reset", long live the beginning of a new "arms race"! Will not bring it all to good belay Get ready to stand up for friends! soldier
    1. +8
      14 July 2015 16: 04
      I would like to speak on this subject:
      I’m not a pacifist, if necessary, I’ll pick up a machine gun and go wherever they want: either according to my military academy - “deputy commander of a rifle platoon of border troops”, or by my police specialization - investigation of crimes related to organized crime (in case of war, I suppose this will also be in demand), or in the current civilian specialty - ensuring the economic security of industrial enterprises, which are particularly important facilities. “They will not give less platoon, they will not send further than the front” - this is also about people like me.
      I repeat, I am not a pacifist, I just have a good idea of ​​what war is. War is not hell, but much worse. In hell, sinners suffer (and rightly so, as the world religions teach us), and in war innocent and, above all, children. I categorically do not want my children to wake up one day to the accompaniment of air bomb explosions. Or did not wake up at all. For this reason, even a bad world is better than a good quarrel, that is, a war that should be avoided while it is possible to resolve the issue through diplomatic methods. But, as you know, “with a good word and a gun, you can do more than just a good word,” so gunpowder must be kept dry and ready.
      I have the honor.
    2. The comment was deleted.
  8. Dam
    0
    15 July 2015 11: 56
    Apparently the wallet for mattresses is also not unlimited, if they go along the path of modernization. Usually, they pompously allocate a mega budget for the creation of new stsukomegablasty. The truth is that something worthwhile is rare
  9. +2
    19 July 2015 13: 41
    Quote: Bayonet
    Are we not improving our means of delivering a nuclear charge? And what does "peacefulness" and "friendliness" have to do with it? A conventional bomb upgrade that's 50 years old!

    That's right. Everyone does it, everyone upgrades. So with the B-61. They decided to reduce the nomenclature, replacing 4 bombs with one, more accurate

    Quote: engineer74
    There will be "Angara" and this circus will stop by itself.

    And what, "Angara" has already become an ICBM ???

    Quote: Damm
    Apparently the wallet for mattresses is also not unlimited, if they go along the path of modernization. Usually, they pompously allocate a mega budget for the creation of new stsukomegablasty. The truth is that something worthwhile is rare

    And they do what all normal people do. Why do something supernova when it’s easier and cheaper to upgrade. Absolutely everyone is engaged in this. And as for the pump - and we have enough of this PR. Our defense minister did not have time to say that it would be necessary to calculate what it would cost to restore the production of a strategic bomber, and that it would be profitable when ordering at least 50 aircraft, as soon as the rustling began, that we were going to build 50 new TU-160M2. And how much rustle in the internet according to Sarmatia, who only did not promote it, and what fantastic parameters are not attributed to him. Also with a pump. So here we always have parity with the Americans ...
  10. 0
    17 November 2015 12: 33
    Quote: silver169
    So, another super modern atomic bomb from the greatest democrat Uncle Sam. Another proof of how "friendly" and "peaceful" this country is.

    Propaganda is propaganda, but there is no need to go too far and be like Western "friends" who are ready to see insidious intrigues even in the purchase of shovels and a rake for the Russian army ...
    Upgrading a bomb sixty years ago is not a crime. On the contrary, modernization will lead to increased technical reliability, and as a result, the likelihood of accidental or unauthorized undermining and other incidents will drop.
    And again, as a result - a decrease in the probability of an erroneous start of an atomic conflict.
    For me, so dilapidated atomic bombs scattering from old age in any country are worse than new or modernized ones. Spray if that reaches all. Anyway.
    You can’t develop a new one without field tests, and you won’t put it into service. So, now all will be only old, actually tested at the landfill devices to upgrade.

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