U.S. Assembles First B61-13 Nuclear Bomb Nearly a Year Ahead of Schedule
Accelerated production marks a milestone in nuclear modernization, delivering a new gravity bomb with enhanced capabilities for strategic deterrence
Leaders from across the Nuclear Security Enterprise join Secretary Wright to celebrate the completion of the first B61-13 unit. Photo: US Department of Energy website
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced yesterday (Monday) that the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) has completed assembly of the first B61-13 gravity bomb—nearly a year ahead of schedule and less than two years after the program’s announcement.
The B61-13, the latest modification to the B61 family of nuclear weapons, was developed and fielded at a pace not seen since the Cold War. “Modernizing America’s nuclear stockpile is essential to delivering President Trump’s peace through strength agenda,” said Wright. “The remarkable speed of the B61-13’s production is a testament to the ingenuity of our scientists and engineers and the urgency we face to fortify deterrence in a volatile new age.”
The new bomb incorporates the advanced safety, security, and precision-guidance features of the B61-12 but with a yield tailored for striking hard and large-area military targets. Unlike previous B61 variants, the B61-13 will be deployed only by strategic bombers based in the continental U.S.
This effort is one of seven warhead modernization programs underway by the NNSA. Leveraging existing production capabilities and decades of design data, engineers accelerated the design process by streamlining traditional review checkpoints—known as “design gates”—allowing test builds to begin just three months after Congressional approval.
“Accelerating production of the B61-13 while maintaining the highest standards of safety and security, and without disrupting our other six modernization programs, is a remarkable achievement,” said David Hoagland, Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs. “This success offers valuable lessons for the future of nuclear modernization.”
The Department of Defense is working with NNSA to finalize a broader strategy focused on defeating hard and deeply buried targets, with the B61-13 playing a central role in the evolving U.S. nuclear deterrent.