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'Like a second colonoscopy': America's mega-nuke B61-13 may send China a warning but Internet isn't sold

Pentagon announces the development of a new nuke but netizens have a 'bad feeling' about it

WASHINGTON, DC: The Pentagon has announced the development of a new nuclear "gravity bomb," B61-13, whose explosive yield is estimated to be 360,000 tons of TNT and blast radius of roughly 190,000 feet, the length of two Manhattans.

The new bomb is said to be 24 times more powerful than the nuke detonated in Hiroshima. These types of explosives are called "gravity bombs" as they fall to their target rather than being guided.

B61-13 is set to be the 13th variant of the B61 family, which will essentially be the B61-7 warhead from the Cold War era put into a new casing. The new model will have updated safety and control features and an upgraded tail kit to help it fall straight and hit the target.

Comparison between 'Little Boy' and B61-13

The atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima during World War II was named 'Little Boy' and had a destructive force equivalent to about 15 kilotons of TNT. With 141 pounds of uranium, the bomb weighed 9,700 pounds and measured 28 inches in diameter. The blast radius was approximately 8000 feet.

According to the Daily Mail, B61-13 is estimated to have a destructive force equivalent to about 360 kilotons of TNT.

Packed with plutonium, the bomb weighs 824 pounds and measures 13.3 inches in diameter and 12 feet in length. The blast radius is calculated to be around 192,000 feet.

B61-13 is a 'political weapon'

At the end of the Cold War, the B61-7 nuclear gravity bomb was the primary warhead in the stockpile of the US, whose production was discontinued under the George W Bush administration. The shelf-life of the weapons was 12 years.

The approval for the development of the B61-12 came under the Obama administration, but it proved to be extremely expensive with less yield.

According to defense officials, the B61-13 will use the warhead from the B61-7 modified with new safety and use-control features and a guided tail kit, like the B61-12, to increase the bomb's accuracy.

The DoD's announcement for B61-13 read, "The B61-13 will strengthen deterrence of adversaries and assurance of allies and partners by providing the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military Targets."

Geoffrey Wilson, director at the Center for Defense Information, reportedly told the Daily Mail that B61-13 "is a Washington warhead. A political weapon. Whether or not there is a use or utility, that is a real question that hasn't been answered."

The Pentagon said the decision to build this weapon was made to reflect the changing security environment in line with the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review. That study said the military needed to modernize its nuclear forces to properly deter its two main nuclear-armed competitors, China and Russia.

Internet reacts to the announcement of the new nuke

Netizens are questioning the need for another nuke in the arsenal of the United States, as the following tweets go on to show.

"Great just what the world needs now!!! 💩" tweeted one user.

"Like I needed another colonoscopy," replied a second.

"I've got a bad feeling about this situation," wrote another user.

"Hey,it must be true,the pentagon officials said so 🤦" was one's reaction.

"That’s what we need in this crazy world" quipped another.