B61 nuclear bomb
E543505
The B61 nuclear bomb is a U.S. thermonuclear gravity bomb that has served as a key component of NATO and U.S. strategic and tactical nuclear arsenals since the 1960s.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| B61 Mod 12 nuclear bomb | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf | thermonuclear gravity bomb ⓘ |
| armsControlRelevance | subject of NATO nuclear posture debates ⓘ |
| B61-12Features | precision guidance tail kit ⓘ |
| B61-12Role | consolidation of multiple earlier B61 variants ⓘ |
| compatibleAircraft |
B-2 Spirit
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
B-52 Stratofortress NERFINISHED ⓘ F-15E Strike Eagle NERFINISHED ⓘ F-16 Fighting Falcon NERFINISHED ⓘ F-35A Lightning II (certification planned/ongoing) NERFINISHED ⓘ PA-200 Tornado NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| deployedInRegion |
Europe
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Turkey NERFINISHED ⓘ United States NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| deploymentMode | air-dropped gravity bomb ⓘ |
| designer | Los Alamos National Laboratory NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| diameter | approximately 33 cm ⓘ |
| guidance |
tail-kit guided (B61-12)
ⓘ
unguided (legacy variants) ⓘ |
| hasVariant |
B61-0
ⓘ
B61-1 NERFINISHED ⓘ B61-10 NERFINISHED ⓘ B61-11 ⓘ B61-12 NERFINISHED ⓘ B61-3 NERFINISHED ⓘ B61-4 NERFINISHED ⓘ B61-7 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| introducedInDecade | 1960s ⓘ |
| length | approximately 3.58 m ⓘ |
| manufacturer | U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| modernizationProgram | B61-12 Life Extension Program NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| partOf |
NATO nuclear sharing arrangements
ⓘ
U.S. nuclear arsenal ⓘ |
| primaryRole |
strategic nuclear weapon
ⓘ
tactical nuclear weapon ⓘ |
| safetyFeatures |
insensitive high explosives
ⓘ
multiple environmental sensing devices ⓘ permissive action link NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| serviceEntry | 1968 ⓘ |
| storageType | underground vaults at NATO air bases ⓘ |
| strategicSignificance | central element of U.S. extended nuclear deterrence in Europe ⓘ |
| usedBy |
NATO member states under nuclear sharing
ⓘ
North Atlantic Treaty Organization NERFINISHED ⓘ United States Air Force ⓘ |
| warheadType | two-stage thermonuclear ⓘ |
| weight | approximately 320 kg ⓘ |
| yieldType | variable yield ⓘ |
Referenced by (4)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
B61 Mod 12 nuclear bomb