The US has said it has carried out a second test of its B61-12 nuclear bomb [Getty/PA]
THE United States has carried out a second test of a bomb, described as the most dangerous nuclear weapon ever produced, as tensions with North Korea escalate.
US authorities confirmed the test was successful and the B61-12 gravity bomb is expected to go into production within three years.
B61-12 gravity bombs, without a nuclear warhead, were dropped from F-15E fighter jets at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada on August 8, the National Nuclear Security Administration said.
The tests were intended to check the bomb’s “non-nuclear functions and the aircraft’s capability to deliver the weapon.”
A statement from the NNSA said: “B61-12 gravity bombs, without a nuclear warhead, were dropped from F-15E fighter jets at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada on August 8. The tests were intended to check the bomb’s ‘non-nuclear functions and the aircraft’s capability to deliver the weapon.”
These tests are part of a series over the next three years to qualify the B61-12 for service. The first qualification flight test occurred in March.
The new weapon is scheduled for production in March 2020 and will replace the B61.
Military experts believe the weapon’s accuracy and variable power reduces the risk of collateral damage and potential widespread civilian casualties.
The B61-12 bomb features a tail kit from aircraft manufacturer Boeing which will enable a precision-guided trajectory.
It also has a mechanism that enables an adjustment of the explosive force – ranging from a high of 50,000 tons of TNT to a low of 300 tons – and can be delivered by stealth jet bomber.
Full article: World War 3? US tests ‘most dangerous nuclear weapon ever produced’ amid North Korea row (Express)
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