In the coming years, the US Strategic Command may be left without B83 nuclear bombs with a yield of 1.2 megatons. This follows from the materials of the American Congress.
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Now the Strategic Command has about fifty B83s at its disposal, which the States put into service in 1983.
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One such bomb weighs over a ton. She can destroy an entire city. The purpose of such bombs is to destroy the main underground command posts of the enemy, located in the depths of his country.
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However, experts from the Federation of American Scientists believe that these shells are already outdated and unreliable.
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They also draw attention to the fact that the only carrier capable of delivering the B83 to the target is the B-2 Spirit heavy strategic stealth bomber. And he is unlikely to be able to overcome the enemy’s layered air defense system to the required depth.
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The B83 expires in the 2020s, and upgrading them is very expensive.
Instead, the United States began to modernize the B61 atomic bombs.
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Serial production of anti-bunker nuclear bombs B61-12 (new modification B61) began in May. Their power is up to 50 kilotons.
Until 2026, it is planned to produce 480 such bombs. About 100 of them until 2024, the United States will place in Europe.
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The new bomb has one feature: a tail, which makes it manageable and gives it greater accuracy. This feature allows it to be dropped from an aircraft flying at high altitude. And then she herself plans and even “taxis” to the goal.
