Posted on 12/09/2021 9:52:00 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced Thursday it had "successfully" modernized the first B61 nuclear gravity bomb to increase the nation's air-delivered nuclear deterrent capability amid threats of war with Russia in Ukraine and China in the South China Sea and or in the Taiwan Strait.
Over the years, we've been documenting (read: here & here) NNSA's $12 billion program to modify aging B61 thermonuclear gravity bombs for the modern battlefield. The weapons first entered service in the late 1960s and needed upgrades to be more effective and increase lifespan by another two decades.
The first B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb paves the way for an estimated 480 bombs. NNSA expects full-scale production to begin in May 2022 and last through 2026.
"With this program, we're delivering a system to the Department of Defense that improves accuracy and reduces yield with no change in military characteristics, while also improving safety, security and reliability," Department of Energy Under Secretary and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby stated.
Last week, #NNSA successfully completed the B61-12 First Production Unit @PantexPlant. This is a huge milestone for stockpile modernization and demonstrates our Nation’s commitment to #nuclear deterrence. pic.twitter.com/90ojHPw6cH — NNSA Administrator (@NNSAHruby) December 2, 2021
Deputy NNSA Administrator for Defense Programs Charles Verdon said it's "extremely satisfying" to see the B61-12 enter production.
"This successful effort results from years of seamless execution between our NNSA and U.S. Air Force teams. The integration of the NNSA Bomb Assembly and the Boeing Tailkit Assembly as well as the joint certification on multiple aircraft platforms stands as a testament to our continued commitment to national security and that of our allies and partners," Verdon said.
We've noted multiple airframes, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, have been conducting mock nuclear attacks with inert B61-12 over the past two years.
The nuclear gravity bomb upgrade is more than a year late. We noted bomb production was supposed to begin in 2020. The upgraded version can carry low-yield nukes to 50 kilotons nuclear bombs, guided by an advanced Boeing tail kit.
You'd think the new version would be in color, wouldn't you?
An airplane overflying it’s target is not going to survive against a Russian S-400 SAM
—
S-400s have no track record, just facts and figures supplied by the manufacturers. The latest systems like the S-500 and the S-550 also have no track records - all of these statistics against combat proven systems from Israel and the US.
I wish people would understand just because some thing looks great on paper, it does not necessarily translate into real world performance : Russian air defense systems and Chinese military systems are two of the most hyped items, neither of which are combat proven or even used in a combat situation - they remain unknown abilities.
The only area that the Russians really stand out in is electronic countermeasures which have been used in combat situations, notably in Syria to jam air to ground communications between US troops and air assets, and spoof or deny GPS signals. It is against this AAAD jamming system that modern fighters like the F-35 and F-22 will have to contend (with their data streams on which their survival and targeting depend).
You can recall bombers.
You can't recall a missile.
“We’ll meet again...”
—
Verra Lynn. Always brings a tear or two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcunREYzNY
Russian military doctrine and State policy states : any attack on Russia or its forces with nuclear or conventional weapons will result in a nuclear response. (Russian mercenaries {Wagner Group} don’t count).
Yet the Israelis popped several Russian anti-aircraft missile batteries in Syria, with losses to Russian equipment and personnel. Perhaps the prospect of nuclear tipped Jericho missiles hitting Moscow restrained Russia from a response according to doctrine.
Am I understanding this right, they can select yield on the nuke without changing the warhead.
Yes.
But how far can you “loft”? 5-10 miles? S-400 has a couple hundred mile range.
S-400s have no track record, just facts and figures supplied by the manufacturers. The latest systems like the S-500 and the S-550 also have no track records - all of these statistics against combat proven systems from Israel and the US.
It's one of the reasons the parachute was removed. Like any other smart bomb, it can 'fly' itself to a target. and the -12 can fit on a lot of different aircraft.
It wouldn't be the ideal first strike option, but after the SAM threat is negated, toss bombing would be a lot more possible.
Those were Syrian batteries with Russian advisors sold to Syria. Not Russian military units. There is a big difference.
Russian S-500 batteries would have take out any Israeli missiles in Russian air space, shortly followed by obliteration of Israel.
As for Russian advised or operated missile batteries in Syria, nowadays they characteristically stand down when Israeli aircraft and missiles are conducting operations. As it happens, Israel, Russia, and Syria's Assad have a de facto understanding that Iran and its proxies need to be curbed, with the Israeli Air Force providing the firepower.
Moreover, Russian made and Russian advised antiaircraft missile installation in Syria have a dismal history of being a menace even to Russian aircraft. In 2018, an Assad regime operated S-200 missile battery accidentally shot down a Russian Il-20M four-engine turboprop surveillance and command aircraft when the Syrians attempted to engage four Israeli F-16 fighters attacking Syrian targets.
Fifteen Russian servicemen were killed, but officials in Moscow and Tel Aviv moved quickly to defuse tensions. The Russian Ministry of Defense initially blamed the Israelis, but Russian president Vladimir Putin demurred and ascribed the incident to the fog of war. No reprisals were taken against Israel, let alone a nuclear strike. This seems in accord with Russia's apparent reliance on nuclear deterrence and escalation management instead of its declared willingness for first use and nuclear retaliation.
Otherwise, there is a long history of Israel defeating Russian antiaircraft radars and missiles. After all, Israel has superb tech capabilities and a world class arms industry. Over the years, much of Russia's scientific and technical talent of Jewish extraction has emigrated to Israel. My guess is that as with prior models, Israel will figure out how to defeat the S-500 and then share their findings with the US. Or the Ukrainians will grab a Russian missile battery and sell it to the US for testing, which is performed in Florida and Nevada, I believe.
I read the S-550 is superseding the S-500, and they may begin making an export model of the 500.
That said, Russia has considerable strength in electronics and missiles. The long range of the S-500 missile and its exoatmospheric reach indicate that its is intended to defend wide swaths of territory against aircraft of all sorts, ballistic missiles, and low orbiting satellites. The Russians can be expected to keep trying until it works as claimed or becomes obsolete.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.