US TO INTRODUCE ‘NEW’ UPDATED TACTICAL NUCLEAR BOMB

The US has announced the introduction of an a new variant of the B-61 Tactical Nuclear weapon.
The new version is the B-61-13.
The variant will have a new warhead and be housed in an updated bomb, replacing the old B-61-7 variant which has been withdrawn.
The -12 variant is a downsized tactical bomb that was rushed into service last year and continues to be deployed. 125 of those are deployed across  NATO and represent its entire tactical nuclear arsenal.
The -13 is being taken from the total of what would have been all -12’s. Rather than the lower sub 50kt dial-a -detonator warhead used in  NATO and elsewhere  - US Carriers are believed to carry them, along with deployments available for S Korea and Japan if needed.
The -13 is a 350kt warhead bomb designed for wide-area destruction or used as a deep penetrating bunker buster against facilities such has underground nuclear weapons production facilities. (N.Korea and Iran take note).
Only 50 are destined for deployment and are likely to be restricted to the B-2, F-15E and B-21.
However the senior members of the House committees responsible for approving the deployment both stated they felt these were insufficient in number and more should be constructed to improve the US deterrent.
Interestingly these were described as being useful primarily in the Central and Indo-Pacific Commands.
While the current administration is looking at maintaining and modernising the nuclear deterrent. There’s growing pressure to start the ball rolling on expanding it.
This is how arms races begin. Everyone reacts to everyone else and away we go. Yet the US has got a problem. As I have said before, China or Russia alone are one thing. The pair of them equal to the US is 2:1 from an American perspective. In an unrestrained nuclear world as we are now, unless it’s stopped quickly it won’t end.
Russia last week said it would talk about a new deal but ‘only if America stopped being so aggressive’, which is just a joke. China won’t talk so it’s all meaningless.

The Analyst