In December this year NATO bases in Europe will receive an upgraded B61-12 gravity nuclear bomb from the United States (US). The weapon, which is used by air-dropping it, has alarmed Russia. Washington’s plans to supply B61-12 bombs to NATO were discussed during a closed-door meeting in Brussels this month. According to Politico, the planned delivery of the bombs would be several months earlier than previously scheduled.
Hearing this news Russia reacted quickly by saying that Moscow would consider the American move in its military planning.
Alexander Grushko announced to the RIA news agency that the decision to accelerate the deployment of the upgraded B61-12 bomb would lower the “nuclear threshold”. “We cannot ignore plans to modernize nuclear weapons, free-fall bombs in Europe.”
And Grushko also said “The United States is modernizing them, increasing accuracy and reducing the power of nuclear payloads, that is, they are turning these weapons into “battlefield weapons” thereby reducing the nuclear threshold”.
Then what is a Gravity Nuclear Bomb? How bad is it?
The Nuclear Gravity B61-12 is an update of the B61, since 1968 the gravitational nuclear bomb family has become part of the US military stockpile. The gravity bomb is the result of an upgrade that has been carried out over the years until now, so the project has been described as a project. the most expensive nuclear bomb ever.
At 12 feet long, the B61-12 bomb is capable of carrying a warhead of 50 kilotons, the equivalent of 50,000 tons of TNT—and very precise, thanks to the controlled tail rudder that also allows the release of the parachute. The fighter doesn’t have to fly right over the target.
The description of the B61-12 bomb according to the military magazine The National Interest on Monday (31/10/2022), “B61-21 is the most dangerous nuclear weapon in America’s arsenal” because of its multi-function than its nuclear yield, which is lower than others.
This bomb also has the ability to penetrate underground. In comparison to the B83 nuclear bomb, it has a maximum yield of 1.2 megatons, or 1,200 kilotons. According to the magazine report, the combination of accuracy and low yield that characterizes the B61-12 gravity bomb is what makes it the most usable nuclear bomb in America’s arsenal.
The report added, “Accuracy is the most important determinant of the lethal force of a nuclear weapon.” Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told Politico that the accelerated deployment of the B61-12 gravity bomb was in no way related to current events in Ukraine and was not accelerated in any way. However, it is undeniable that the move was made at a time of simmering tension with Russia.
According to Reuters, the United States now has about 200 tactical nuclear weapons deployed, half of which are deployed at bases of NATO allies in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey.
On the other hand, Russia is estimated to have about 2,000 such weapons. The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) says that Russia and the US currently own about 90 percent of all nuclear warheads, having about 4,000 warheads each of which has about 4,000 warheads. exploded in his military stockpile.***
