The United States has completed the assembly of its first B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb nearly a year ahead of schedule, just two years after the program began. The production was accelerated by over 25 percent without compromising safety, security, or interfering with six other ongoing modernization efforts, according to Acting Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs David Hoagland. This achievement comes just five months after the completion of a $9 billion upgrade to the long-serving B61-12 bombs. The rapid development of the B61-13 makes it one of the fastest-deployed U.S. nuclear weapons since the Cold War, reinforcing the nation’s nuclear deterrence amid rising global tensions.
