MRW: US remains sole nuclear power using stealth jets for tactical nukes

The United States remains the only nuclear power that uses stealth aircraft as carriers of tactical nuclear weapons (TNW), Military Watch Magazine says in its fresh article, highlighting this feature of Washington's arsenal.

“The United States is the only country to deploy tactical nuclear weapons using radar-evading stealth fighters and bombers. The United States suffers from the growing obsolescence of arsenal of nuclear-armed intercontinental range ballistic missiles, which dates back to the 1970s,” Caliber.Az cites the article as saying.

In contrast, Russia has responded to the threat from American bombers by equipping its interceptors with the world’s only known nuclear-armed air-to-air missiles, the article read.

It adds that American fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters can carry B61 thermonuclear bombs. The yield of the B61-12 guided munition can be adjusted.

As the Magazine notes, the United States continues to rely on outdated intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) from the Cold War era, highlighting the need for modernisation.

In May, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced plans to begin serial production of the upgraded B61-13 nuclear bomb (B61 Mod 13) in July. With a yield of 360 kilotons, this new bomb will rank among the most powerful in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

By Khagan Isayev