2014/04/23 by Hans M. Kristensen, Robert S. Norris · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Nuclear Issues and Defense #Upgrade #Nuclear weapon #Computer science #Yield (engineering) #Political science #Physics #Law
paper · doi:10.1177/0096340214531546
openalex publication_date 2014/04/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The Obama administration has approved an upgrade to the B61 nuclear bomb that will, through use of a new tail kit assembly, become a guided standoff nuclear bomb. If the upgrade—the 12th modification of the original B61 design—is pursued as planned, the US Air Force will obtain the low-yield, precision-guided nuclear weapon it first sought in the 1990s, despite concerns that it could increase the likelihood of use. The weapon’s overall price tag is expected to exceed 10 billion, with each B61-12 estimated to cost more than the value of its weight in gold.