The US Air Force is one step away from certifying F-35A Lightning II fighters as nuclear weapons carriers. Yesterday, October 6, the portal dvidshub.net He reported that the aircraft had completed a cycle of test drops of B61-12 bombs.
The latest tests took place at the Tonopah test site and included dropping two B61-12 bombs without a nuclear warhead from F-35A fighters, including at supersonic speed. These two drops completed a cycle of ten tests, which paved the way for the certification of F-35A fighters as carriers of nuclear weapons.
Reset B61-12 with F-35A
After training and certification of pilots and ground personnel, the US Air Force will be able to officially announce the creation of "nuclear" squadrons of F-35A Lightning II fighters. It is planned that the F-35A will be the main NATO fighters in the framework of the nuclear deterrence program.
The B61-12 bomb is a deeply upgraded version of the B61 ammunition developed in the middle of the last century. When creating the twelfth version of the atomic bomb, engineers used a new tail unit developed by Boeing. Thanks to the new tail section, the B61-12 bomb can adjust its flight and hit the specified targets more accurately. When designing a new bomb, the developers refused to use satellite guidance systems in its electronic system.
The B61 bomb is designed to be dropped from aircraft (including jet). The length of the ammunition is approximately 3.5 m with a diameter of 33 cm, weight - more than 300 kg. The dimensions and weight of the bombs may vary slightly depending on the modification. The National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) indicates that the B61-12 will replace the B61 bombs of the third, fourth, seventh and tenth generations, which are in service with the American army.
