The Department of Energy Just Completed Life Extension on a Key Nuclear Weapon

Even one of the greatest weapons of mass destruction has what could be described as a “shelf life”. On Tuesday, the United States Department of Energy announced that its National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). completed the program to keep the B61-12 nuclear bomb in service for decades to come.

B61-12 Life extension program (LEP) was launched in 2008, with a particular focus on upgrading the B61 family of gravity bombs, “deployed from US Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bases.” The latest modification of the original bomb, the B61-12, is 12 feet long, weighs approximately 825 pounds, an air-launched nuclear gravity bomb which uses the Inertial Navigation System (INS) to precisely hit the target.

According to the NNSA, the B61 has been in service for more than five decades, but it also remains “the oldest and most versatile weapon in the permanent US nuclear weapons stockpile.” The B61-12 LEP should further extend the service life of the bomb stockpile by at least another 20 years. This will include refurbishment, reuse and if necessary even replacement of some nuclear and non-nuclear components.

As a result, rather than a completely fresh weapon, the B6-12 is a combination of new and refurbished components from earlier versions including the B61-3, B61-4, B61-7 and B61-10. On December 18, 2024, NNSA completed the last production unit (LPU) of the B61-12 LEP – the culmination of an effort that began nearly 20 years ago.

“The on-schedule completion of the B61-12 is the latest example of what we’ve been saying for several years: NNSA is delivering capabilities at the pace and scale needed by our DoD partners and our deterrence requirements,” said Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby .

Total program costs are reported approximately $9 billion.

Upgrades to continue

The B61-12 LPU appeared three years after the first production unit (FPU) in November 2021 and 17 years after its design and development first started.

“NNSA program managers and experts from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Pantex Plant, Savanah River Site, Y-12 National Security Complex and Kansas City National Security Campus worked closely with NNSA to design, develop, train and production of components,” explained the Ministry of Energy.

“The completion of the last B61-12 is a testament to the successful collaboration we have had with our US Air Force and Department of Defense partners. The momentum built through the production and delivery of the B61-12 will continue with deliveries to the other six active weapons modernization programs and additional programs which will become active in the coming years,” explained dr. Marvin Adams, Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the DoE. “Achieving the LPU in FY 2025 demonstrates our ability to execute, not only to our partners and stakeholders in DoD and Congress, but also to our adversaries and allies. This demonstration is itself a contribution to deterrence and security.”

Although the B61-12 LEP has come to an end, NNSA will look to the B61-13, which will further build on this latest upgrade. It is scheduled to reach its FPU in the ministry’s fiscal year 2026 (FY26).

An air-launched nuclear weapon

The B61-12 was first integrated with the US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle, where it is carried externally and the weapon is also certified for carrying on aircraft B-2 Ghost strategic bomber, as well as the F-16C/D fighter.

Last March, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) confirmed that Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II achieved its own nuclear certificate to carry a gravity bomb in October 2023, becoming the first fifth-generation spacecraft with nuclear capabilities. With that certification, the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) stealth fighter variant has additionally become a “dual capability” aircraft capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons internally.

However, it was noted at the time that the F-35A could only carry the upgraded B61-12 variant – but that’s essentially a moot point now that the program has reached its LPU. In addition, certification did not extend to the stealth jet’s sister variants, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B and the carrier-launched F-35C. It remains unclear if and when those variants might receive certification – and since the F-35A can carry the current variant, it is expected to be certified for the B61-13 when it enters service.

Author experience and expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites with more than 3,200 published articles during a twenty-year career in journalism. He writes regularly on military equipment, firearms history, cyber security, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing writer for Forbes and Cleaning jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can send an e-mail to the author: [email protected].

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