Things are tense in Europe, with Vladimir Putin responding to every city taken back
by the Ukrainians and every NATO weapons shipments with threats of nuclear war.
But in reality, it might be the United States’ new
weapon that has Putin losing sleep. What is the secret of the B61-12 gravity bomb?
Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, but it got it back in the Cold War - and
it hasn’t changed much since. Designed for an intercontinental nuclear showdown,
its missiles are massive and old - and no one knows how many of them are even
in working order anymore. While it does have tactical nuclear weapons as well,
designed to defeat localized enemy forces rather than blow up whole cities, they’ve
never been used in combat and no one is sure how powerful they are or when they were built.
The same can’t be said for the best tactical weapon in the US arsenal.
Meet the B61 nuclear bomb, a mainstay of the US arsenal since the Cold War. A low
to intermediate-yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon, it delivers anywhere from 0.3
to 340 kilotons of nuclear power, and features a two-stage radiation design. First authorized
in 1962, it was designed to replace the previous nuclear arsenal - which resembled the heavy bombs
that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were barely able to be carried in the airplanes
that delivered them. The goal was to have a large stockpile of bombs that could be delivered easily.
Because the B61 is as low-tech as it gets.
Sure, it has a complex nuclear ignition sequence that was put together by the
best nuclear scientists the US has, but it eliminates one key step of the process.
When launching nuclear missiles, either from ground silos or nuclear submarines,
there’s always the chance of something going wrong. Maybe the tech has degraded over time,
or the ship gets damaged by enemy fire before launch, and you’re left with a dead bomb - or
worse, an active bomb that can’t launch! But that’s not the case for the B61 gravity bomb.
Because this system goes back to the basics.
How were the bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki dropped? That’s it - they were dropped. They
detonated due to a simple mechanism triggered by time and barometric pressure, and all that was
needed was gravity to deliver them. And that’s the case for these smaller strategic bombs - they’re
designed to be dropped from any bomber airplane. They’re not lightweight per se - they weigh
around 715 pounds, so transporting them is a multi-person job. They’re around ten feet
long and a foot in diameter, but this is still a fraction of the size of most nuclear missiles - so
small teams can handle them and transport them without heavy equipment being needed.
So what about this old weapon has Putin so scared?
For one thing, it’s not an old weapon anymore. The United States hasn’t been in a large-scale
war for decades, and hasn’t faced off against a superpower in eighty years,
but its always ready. And a big part of the defense budget goes into updating
old weapons. So over the course of the six decades since the B61 joined the arsenal,
it’s had eleven updates into new models - each a little more powerful and a
little more effective than the one before it. Thanks to its small size and its many stages,
we know more about this nuclear bomb than most - including almost everything that goes into it.
And it has a secret weapon.
What makes the B61 so effective? Ever since testing, the bomb has been equipped with spin
motors that provide five revolutions per second - making the bomb more
stable during high-speed delivery. It also makes the bombs hit with a greater impact,
and makes it more likely that the sharp tip will burrow into the earth - which causes greater
damage and shockwaves when it detonates. The B61 may be a fraction of the size of
its larger counterparts, but it knows how to make the most out of every bit of its power.
And due to its small size and ease of transport, it can be found everywhere!
The B61 is one of the most common bombs to be deployed aboard military aircraft, because it fits
into the weapons bays of most mid-sized aircraft. It’s the backbone of the air division of the US
nuclear military triad - but it’s not limited to the United States alone. It’s also deployed with
NATO allies as part of the nuclear weapons sharing program. It can be found at air bases in Belgium,
Germany, Italy, and Turkey - along with high-speed F-35 planes that can deliver
them. This is a key part of the deterrent against the Russian-backed forces on NATO’s eastern front.
But like all nuclear weapons, it’s more complicated than it looks.
This is a dial-a-yield, or variable yield bomb. This means that they can be adjusted
to deliver a different nuclear payload depending on the mission. At its weakest,
it’s an effective bunker-buster nuke designed to take out a specific target or base. At its
most powerful, it could cause serious damage to a city. And each bomb has a control panel that
is armed before it’s set off on its mission. And that panel…doesn’t look much different
from a typical appliance panel. It features nine dials, two sockets, and a handle to control the
arming and safety mechanisms. But of course, it’s more secure than most appliances - it features a
keypad where the correct code has to be inputted before it can be fully activated or disabled.
And it can be customized in some interesting ways.
Even its detonation style can be adjusted, with settings for an airburst detonation
for maximum damage, or a groundburst detonation to deny territory to the
enemy by creating lots of fallout. It can also be set for freefall, a slowed freefall,
or a laydown delivery - with the last two options being assisted by a parachute. Why
would you want a slower delivery? Well, you might want to deliver the bomb intact
to an ally - or you might want to delay the explosion so the plane can get clear
before the detonation! One way or another, this bomb is designed to be an all-purpose weapon.
And it’s only gotten more versatile since it was adapted to new versions.
The very first B61, known as model 0, was a tactical bomb with around five hundred models
produced, and was a tactical nuclear bomb with a yield of anywhere from 10 to 300
kilotons. Tactical bombs are typically intended to be used on the battlefield,
in proximity of allied soldiers. These will usually be the lower-yield bombs that
could be survivable for friendlies, but are highly effective when needed to break large
formations of enemy soldiers and weaponry without destroying the surrounding area.
But a lot of changes were coming.
The B61-1 would be created only two years later, and was the first strategic nuclear
weapon in the line. 700 were produced, and with a kiloton delivery of 10 to 340,
it was intended to be used as part of a larger mission far away from the battlefield - often to
take out enemy bases or weapons facilities. This was what the original nuclear bomb was meant for-
and it’s not a surprise that the B61-1 looked similar to some of the first nuclear bombs.
And the B61-2 would maintain another shift in design.
It was back to a tactical nuclear weapon for the third model, but this one had a lower yield
of only 1 to 150 kilotons. This was first put into production in 1975 and 235 were produced. The
weapon was part of a shift towards lower-yield tactical weapons that could be used without
irradiating a nation long-term or endangering the future of the human species. This model was
retired in 1994, and has been replaced by improved models - along with its two previous models.
The B61-3 and B61-4 models were both created in 1979, and they added a new feature - they could
each be set to a specific kilowatt level. The B61-3 could deliver payloads of 0.3,
1.5, 60, or 170 - while the later model had the same first two options,
but a lower second tier of 10 and 45 kilotons. The first model would likely have been used in
a large-scale conflict against the Soviets if needed - while the second model would probably
be deployed on contested territory if nuclear weapons were needed. These models had 545 and 695
produced respectively - and they’re still active models, proving that they stood the test of time.
The same can’t be said for the next few.
The B61-5 was introduced in 1977 and was only in service for sixteen years. It was
designed based on earlier models - with a kiloton yield of 10 to 150 instead of
the four preset yields. 265 were made, but this model was eventually retired as more
advanced upgrades came into play. As for the B61-6, it never actually entered production!
It would reportedly have the same yields as the previous model, but it would be replaced by the
B61-7 - which went back to the preset yields, although those are highly classified. It’s
believed that the top yield of this model is 340 Kt, which would make it the first
strategic bomb since the B61-1. 600 of these were produced, and the model is still active.
So why mess with success? Because there are bigger and better bombs to be made!
It took a while before the next model would make an impact. The 8th and 9th models both
never entered production, and were designed to have variable yields starting at 10 and jumping
to either 10 or 300 kilotons. Why were they never put into production? It’s not clear, but maybe the
advances just weren’t worth the money. The B61-10 also wasn’t a major project - 215 new bombs were
made out of retired Pershing II warheads, and were equipped with four preset yields going
up to 80 kilotons. They serve as an inactive stockpile and haven’t technically be retired.
But the big jump was still to come.
The B61-11 was first created in 1996, and these strategic bombs were designed to potentially
have a yield of up to 400 kilotons. While this is a fraction of more powerful bombs,
it’s still thirty times more than the bomb that devastated Hiroshima in 1945.
Only fifty of these were made, converted from the B61-7, but they were considered
a major jump in the technology because they were earth-penetrating weapons.
This meant that they could cause much more collateral damage and even localized earthquakes.
And while they’re still active, they may be about to become obsolete.
Welcome to the age of the B61-12, the latest edition of this powerful nuclear bomb - and
the first to have either tactical or strategic capability. With four yields, going up to 5
kilotons - which surprisingly makes it the weakest model since mod 4. It’s converted from that model,
the oldest one still in production, but this raises an interesting question - why are we
going backwards? What is the advantage of the United States having weaker nuclear weapons?
The answer is, warfare is changing - and so is the weaponry used to fight it.
The hunt for Osama Bin Laden was a major turning point in how the US viewed its
weapons stockpile. For the first time, the US was fighting a primary enemy that wasn’t
an army or a country, but a small group of terrorists that could go underground and
hide in another country’s infrastructure. What happens if a terror leader known to
be plotting an attack on the US is located in a region that could be targeted - but a
larger bomb would cause massive damage and casualties in the area? And what
if the target is located in a country the US doesn’t want to make an enemy out of?
That’s where the B61-12 comes into play.
When dialed back to its lowest nuclear yield, the B61-12 functions as one of the
most effective bunker-busters ever made. As an earth-penetrating weapon, it delivers its
payload into the ground - which means it can destroy a target deep below the ground with a
fraction of the power that would be needed if it detonated upon hitting the ground. All it takes
is a few meters of penetration, and the effect of the bomb is at least fifteen times stronger.
And what’s more, its accuracy has increased massively.
While all the B61 bombs are gravity bombs and are delivered by aiming
rather than using on-board computers, these models are equipped with a guided
tail kit that adds precision to the power, and it can be delivered by virtually all
nuclear-capable US and NATO aircraft. This makes it the most effective model of the B61 yet,
and it’s not a surprise that up to five hundred new weapons are planned - one of the largest
investments in a nuclear weapon in a long time for the US, and the most of any model since the mod 7.
And it could change the balance of power in Europe.
When word got around that the B61-12 was going to be deployed to Europe soon, it didn’t take
long for Russia to respond. Putin’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grusko, immediately
said that this lowered the nuclear threshold and made conflict more likely - hard not to interpret
as a threat, since Putin has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons if NATO crosses a line.
What line? Well, he’s not exactly telling. But nuclear weapons have been deployed on NATO soil
for a long time, and many of those weapons are much more powerful than this new model of the B61.
So what is Putin so scared of?
Part of the reason this is viewed as such a threat is because the B61-12 is so easy to deliver.
Planes don’t even have to fly directly over their target to deliver the payload thanks to the
guidance tail kit, and it would be much easier for standard planes to drop a large number of these
bombs in the event of a major war. These tactical nuclear weapons are similar to the ones Putin is
reported to be considering using in disputed areas of eastern Ukraine - which would likely
be considered a massive escalation. But due to the low yield, it’s likely that the use of these
weapons wouldn’t cause fallout to drift into NATO nations. So in some ways, its less threatening.
But Putin might have a very different reason for fearing these bombs.
Nuclear weapons are terrifying for how much civilian damage they can cause when deployed
against cities. But does Putin care about that? It’s hard to say - but he’s notorious
for exacting terrible civilian casualties both in foreign and domestic conflicts,
brutalizing protesters, and conscripting large numbers of soldiers into wars with little training
and old weaponry. So he’s likely not worried too much about the average Russia civilian.
What he is worried about is himself.
Say Putin does cross the nuclear line, and hits Ukraine with several nuclear weapons.
What’s NATO’s next move? Do they attack Moscow directly in retaliation? As much
as some hawks might support that, that’s likely to cause a full nuclear exchange
and possibly end the world. Do they supply Ukraine with nuclear weapons
or try to impose a no-fly zone? That could have the same result - and might cause Putin
to step up his own attacks on Ukraine, perhaps even directly targeting Kyiv.
No, it’s clear that Putin is the problem - and Putin might need to be the target.
Many people have said that the best way to end the war is to replace Putin - one way or
another. Putin likely knows this - and it’s likely that like past dictators in the middle of a war,
he would be heading directly for his bunker. Along with his family and his most trusted advisors,
he would be prosecuting the war from underground in a secret
location. The odds are he has many of these bunkers, just like the US President does. If
he can keep the location of his chosen site secret, he might be untouchable.
But the US has eyes everywhere.
In a situation like this, where it’s been determined that Putin is a nuclear threat,
the US would try to obtain his location from spies. Once the US has that location, it would
attempt a decapitation strike - but how it does that might determine the outcome of the war. A
failed attack would likely be taken as a green light by Putin for direct nuclear retaliation
against NATO. Meanwhile, a full nuclear strike on the bunker might cause massive collateral damage
and make it near-impossible to make peace with Russia’s new leader in the aftermath.
Which is where the B61-12 comes in.
Assuming the United States has Putin’s location in his bunker down, the next move would be to equip
a stealth plane with B61-12 bombs. Thanks to the guided tail, they would be able to
hit the location as precisely as possible. The bomb’s sharp tip and spinning motors make it an
effective earth-penetrating weapon, putting it several meters into the ground when it goes
off. This creates a massive shockwave while the actual nuclear yield remains low. While
the area surrounding it is minimally affected and civilian casualties are kept to a minimum,
the bomb causes massive collapses underground - burying Putin’s bunker in a shower of rubble,
throwing the Russian war machine into chaos, and potentially ending the war.
And that’s one thing Putin can’t bare to think about.
The Russian dictator has increasingly embraced an nihilistic attitude towards the war and his
country. He’s purging political rivals, surrounding himself only with the most
loyal yes-men, and crushing protests against his policies with maximum force. None of that
makes him look like a man who’s going to give up power easily - and it certainly
doesn’t look like a man who is willing to back down from a fight. Putin is also notorious for
assassinating his own political rivals - like the polonium-poisoned Alexander Litvinenko,
who died in a London hospital after exposing many of Putin’s state secrets.
All this paints a picture of a man who
is increasingly paranoid - and increasingly desperate.
It’s not hard to see why. When the war on Ukraine began,
Putin was full of bluster and making demands. He boasted about removing Ukraine’s government,
reincorporating the country into Greater Russia, pushing NATO off his new expanded borders,
and reestablishing Russia as the United States’ key strategic opponent. Now, he’s watching as his
troops get pushed out of Kherson, his land bridges get bombed, and his arch-rival Volodymyr Zelenskyy
becomes a global sensation as his troops heroically push back the Russian invasion.
And there doesn’t seem to be any letup in the pressure.
Not only is Putin facing devastating sanctions from the rest of the world, but he’s facing
increasing challenges at home. Massive anti-war protests were brutally suppressed, and a recent
military draft only stepped up the anger against him. He was able to crush those protests, but his
military is facing its own problems. Russia is rapidly running out of equipment - especially
with how fast Ukraine shoots down Russia’s planes and sinks their ships. Soldiers are
defecting in larger numbers, and Putin has begun dismissing and replacing many of his
Generals. Much like a past dictator to his west, he may start to feel the walls closing in on him.
And now NATO will be in possession of a weapon
that seems custom-built to take him out - personally.
This wouldn’t be the first time Putin has threatened to retaliate if NATO threatens his
position in any way. But would this time be different? An increasingly desperate Putin
has begun encroaching on NATO territory in various ways - targeting border regions of
Ukraine that cause damage in Poland, potentially sabotaging pipelines, and targeting NATO weapons
shipments. Would he go so far as to try to target the bases holding the new B61-12 bombs?
And if he does - would NATO try to hit him first?
Want to know how quickly things could escalate? Watch “How US Is Already At
War With Russia By Aiding Ukraine”, or check out this video instead.