Pentagon Unveils Devastatingly Powerful Nuclear Bomb, Exceeding Japan’s WWII Atomic Blast by 24-Fold

The Department of Defense has revealed its plans to develop a nuclear bomb that will be 24 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. The Pentagon is now seeking congressional approval and funding to pursue a modern version of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, known as the B61-13. This announcement comes as a response to the changing security environment and growing threats from potential adversaries, as stated by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb.

The B61-13 bomb is expected to have a similar yield to the B61-7, which has a maximum yield of 360 kilotons. This makes it 24 times larger than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, which had a yield of about 15 kilotons. Additionally, the B61-13 bomb would be approximately 14 times larger than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, which had a yield of 25 kilotons. The new bomb will also incorporate the modern safety, security, and accuracy features of the B61-12.

In a separate development, the US recently conducted a high-explosive experiment at a nuclear test site in Nevada. This experiment aimed to advance efforts in developing new technology to support US nuclear nonproliferation goals. The experiment coincided with Russia’s expected move to withdraw from the 1966 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This treaty was designed to ban nuclear explosions worldwide, but it was never ratified by several countries, including China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Iran, and Egypt.

The proposed B61-13 bomb will be deliverable by modern aircraft and will provide the president with options to strike hard and large-area military targets. If approved, the bomb will replace some of the current B61-7s in the US nuclear stockpile, rather than increasing the overall number of weapons. The development of the B61-13 is seen as a reasonable step to manage the challenges posed by the highly dynamic security environment, according to Assistant Secretary John Plumb.