Washington. January 9th. INTERFAX - Heavy military transport aircraft of the US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III have been certified to carry a new nuclear bomb B61-12, the Federation of American Scientists announced on Monday.
According to American experts, back in November 2022, the US Air Force amended the safety rules for transporting nuclear weapons by air to allow C-17A Globemaster III aircraft to carry a new B61-12 nuclear bomb.
According to the new instructions published by the federation, taking into account the appropriate certification of aircraft and crew training, C-17A can transport the latest nuclear weapons to bases in the United States and Europe.
C-17A aircraft from the 62nd Air Wing at Lewis-McCord Base serve as the basis for nuclear air transportation of the US Air Force.
At the same time, it is indicated that the updated Air Force instruction does not confirm that the transportation of weapons began in December last year, as some American media reported. But it documents some of the preparations necessary for this, American experts say.
In October last year, the US National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) confirmed to the experts of the Federation of American Scientists the start of full-scale production of B61-12 nuclear bombs. At the same time, a senior Pentagon official denied a report by Politico that the production of these nuclear bombs accelerated due to the events in Ukraine.
"Nothing has changed in the schedule. There is no acceleration due to the Ukrainian crisis, production of the B61-12 is proceeding according to the planned schedule," he said. Meanwhile, the official did not deny that the transportation could begin as early as December.
The B61-12 is designed to modernize and possibly replace all existing old nuclear bombs, including the B61-3, -4, -7 and possibly eventually also the B61-11 and B83-1. It has several variants of smaller and medium power (0.3-50 kilotons). However, its lower power is compensated by the tail, which makes the aerial bomb controllable and more accurate, which makes it possible not to lower it with a parachute, but to drop a charge from an airplane flying at high altitude, after which the bomb autonomously plans towards the target for many kilometers, if necessary, "steering" to it.
At the moment, it is unknown whether deliveries of the B61-12 to Europe have begun. If not, then it is inevitable, according to American experts. In their opinion, the deployment will be gradual.
