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What is the B61-13? Pentagon pursues nuclear weapon 24 times more powerful than Hiroshima bomb to counter China

This announcement comes in the wake of China's intent to double its nuclear warhead arsenal to over 1,000 by 2030

WASHINGTON, DC: The Pentagon has unveiled plans for a groundbreaking nuclear weapon, the B61-13, with a staggering 24 times the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, as per Daily Mail.

This announcement comes in the wake of China's intent to double its nuclear warhead arsenal to over 1,000 by 2030, heightening global tensions surrounding nuclear deterrence.

The B61-13 ushers in a new era of nuclear weaponry

This formidable new B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb is designed to be deployed from aircraft, including the cutting-edge $692 million B-21 Raider stealth bomber, currently in development. Unlike its unguided predecessors, the B61-13 features a tail kit that enhances targeting precision and accuracy, ushering in a new era of nuclear weaponry.

The Pentagon asserts that this weapon is a vital addition to the US military arsenal, aimed at bolstering deterrence against potential adversaries and assuring allies and partners by providing the President with additional options to target harder and larger military areas.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, John Plumb, in a statement emphasized that the US must adapt to an evolving security landscape and growing threats from potential adversaries.

While the statement does not explicitly mention China or Russia, it underscores the necessity for the US to maintain its capabilities to deter and respond to strategic attacks and assure its allies.

The B61-13 has 24 times the power of Hiroshima bomb

The B61-13 is the latest iteration of the B61 gravity bomb, a fundamental component of the US nuclear deterrent strategy since the Cold War.

This new weapon boasts a maximum yield of 360 kilotons, dwarfing the 15-kiloton yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The bomb used on Nagasaki three days later had a yield of about 25 kilotons.

Notably, the production of the B61-13 is not set to increase the overall number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal, as other outdated weapons will be retired. Currently, the US possesses approximately 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which 1,419 are actively deployed.

Despite its immense power, the B61-13 falls short of the B83, the largest US nuclear weapon with a yield of 1.2 megatons, 80 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.

It's worth mentioning that the proposal of the B61-13 could potentially be a bargaining chip for the Biden administration to persuade Republicans in Congress to eliminate the B83, in line with Biden's campaign promise to work towards a world without nuclear weapons.

Nonetheless, the US is currently embarking on its most significant nuclear weapons effort since World War II, committing over $750 billion over the next decade to modernize its aging nuclear defense systems.

At the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the workforce has expanded by over 3,300 employees in the past two years, totaling more than 17,000.

They are actively producing plutonium cores, critical components for nuclear weapons, highlighting the scale and urgency of the nuclear modernization effort.

Only 50 B61-13 bombs will ever likely be produced

Hans Kristensen and Matt Korda, from the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project, note that the number of targets that would require such a high-yield gravity bomb is limited. Consequently, it is likely that only around 50 B61-13 weapons will be produced.

They emphasize that while government officials deny that the B61-13 plan is driven by new developments in adversarial countries or new military targeting requirements, increasing the accuracy of a high-yield bomb undoubtedly has targeting implications.

Detonating the weapon closer to the target significantly raises the likelihood of achieving the desired destruction, especially for hardened military facilities.

The Pentagon has not disclosed an estimated cost for the B61-13 project. Republican congressman Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, welcomed the proposal but considered it a "modest step in the right direction."

He asserted that a dramatic transformation of the US deterrent posture is needed to effectively address the evolving threat landscape.