New Nuclear Weapons in Europe. Americans Are in a Hurry

• The US National Nuclear Security Administration expects the first units of the new B61-13 thermonuclear bomb to be delivered to it by the end of May.
• B61 series bombs are deployed at bases belonging to the United States Air Force and NATO countries.
• The B61-13 bomb is to be equipped with modern fighters, including the F-35, and the B-21 bomber.

In her speech before the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the House of Representatives, Teresa Robbins emphasized that the first production unit will be delivered a year earlier than planned in the schedule.

According to the 2025 Nuclear Stockpile Management Plan released by NNSA in October, the first B61-13 production unit was expected to be built in 2026.

The acceleration of deliveries was attributed to:

• using production processes developed for the related B61-12 program, the last unit of which was completed in 2024,
• and the implementation of a number of technical innovations to optimize production."
• Robbins confirmed under questioning that an “existing production line” was used.

According to NNSA, B61 family bombs are currently deployed at U.S. Air Force and NATO bases, possibly also in Europe as part of the Nuclear Sharing program.

The B61 gravity bomb itself is the oldest of its kind in the American arsenal - it has been in service for over 50 years.

According to money.pl, the B61-13 bomb is to be equipped with modern fighters, including the F-35 , and the B-21 bomber. "The Pentagon announced plans to modernize the B61 bomb in 2023, emphasizing that this decision responds to dynamically changing security conditions," we read.