US is building first new nuclear warhead in decades [View all]

Source: UK Independent

5 hours ago


The United States is building its first new nuclear warhead in decades but will do so without nuclear testing, according to energy department officials on Wednesday.

The warhead, known as the W93, is set to be used on ballistic missiles launched from submarines. It is being built using funds, $19.8bn, requested by the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) for the 2025 fiscal year, energy secretary Jennifer Granholm and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby told the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to The Washington Times.

The warhead is in its early design stages at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the main site for the Manhattan Project which built the first nuclear bombs during World War II. Production on the warhead is set to begin in the middle of the next decade, the officials testified.

The issue of updating its nuclear capabilities is a top priority for the Pentagon and the nuclear-armed submarines are central to the US nuclear forces. Other parts of the strategic capabilities include bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/pentagon-nuclear-warheads-weapons-energy-b2531501.html