GAC06 said:
sanangelo said:
GAC06 said:
MagnumLoad said:
I would be amazed if the US and NATO have zero tactical nuclear weapons, regardless of what they say. If so, while Russia retains tactical nukes, that would be beyond stupid.
We absolutely have tactical nukes
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B61_nuclear_bomb
A b61 is delivered from a _strategic_ bomber called a B-52 and launched at large, pre-planned targets. Half the Buff bomb bay is designed to hold 4 of them. It is NOT a tactical nuke in the mindset of a battlefield. A tac nuke is launched from the army men at other army men, not from strategic bombers.
"It is a low to intermediate-yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon"
" The B61 is of the variable yield ("dial-a-yield" in informal military jargon) design with a yield of 0.3 to 340 kilotons in its various mods. It is a Full Fuzing Option (FUFO) weapon meaning it is equipped with the full range of fuzing and delivery options including air and ground burst fuzing, and free-fall, ******ed free-fall and laydown delivery."
It's 715lbs so I bet a B-52 could carry a LOT more than that. Oh and:
" The B61 has been deployed by a variety of U.S. military aircraft. US aircraft cleared for its use have included the B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit, B-52 Stratofortress, F/A-18 Hornet, A-6 Intruder, F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Falcon. As part of NATO Nuclear Weapons Sharing British, German and Italian Panavia Tornado aircraft can also carry B61s.[3] The B61 can fit inside the F-22 Raptor's weapons bays and will also be carried by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II."
Edit: Asterix word is "re tar ded" which is dumb to censor in this context.
I am not privy to all the secret info, but the B-61 is the main nuclear bomb in the inventory today.
I know that the "dial-a-yield", which allows it to be used as a tactical nuke, is employed on the new version, the B-61-12 (also known as the B-61 Mod 12). I don't know how many of the older bombs already have that capability.
The MOD 12 also has a "tail unit", which makes it a precision guided bomb, which also allows it to be a tactical weapon.
And for those who commented that the -61 is an old bomb, yes, it is. But part of the B-61-12 program is the LEP, Life Extension Program. For instance, assume there are electronics, conventional explosives, or other components that don't age well. They are replaced o the -12.
I also know that the first B-61-12 didn't roll off the line until about three months ago. Who knows how many are in service.
https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-completes-first-production-unit-b61-12-life-extension-program