{"id":19998,"date":"2017-04-15T15:10:18","date_gmt":"2017-04-15T15:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2017\/04\/15\/us-launches-qualification-tests-for-upgraded-nuclear-bomb\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:33:21","slug":"us-launches-qualification-tests-for-upgraded-nuclear-bomb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/techwatch\/2017\/04\/15\/us-launches-qualification-tests-for-upgraded-nuclear-bomb\/","title":{"rendered":"US launches qualification tests for upgraded nuclear bomb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. \u2014 Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights involving an upgraded version of a nuclear bomb that has been part of the U.S. arsenal for decades.<br\/><br\/>Work on the B61-12 has been ongoing for years, and government officials say the latest tests using mock versions of the bomb will be vital to the refurbishing effort.<br\/><br\/>An F-16 from Nellis Air Force Base dropped an inert version of the weapon over the Nevada desert last month to test its non-nuclear functions as well as the plane&#8217;s ability to carry the bomb.<br\/><br\/><br\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sandia National Laboratories 2\" data-alignment=\"center\" data-object-id=\"0000015b-7227-d5d4-ad5b-ffa7d9f80000\" data-type=\"image\" src=\"http:\/\/snagfilms-a.akamaihd.net\/3d\/af\/fc52387a41768c7d9f4ec70293b6\/sandia-national-laboratories-2.jpg\"\/><figcaption> <span>In this March, 2017, photo supplied by Sandia National Laboratories, an F-16C makes a pass over Nevada&#8217;s Tonopah Test Range after a March test of a mock nuclear weapon as part of a life extension program for the B61-12, near Tonopah, Nev. <\/span><\/figcaption><figcaption> <span>Photo Credit: John Salois\/Sandia National Laboratories via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><br\/>With a mere puff of dust, the mock bomb landed in a dry lake bed at the Tonopah Test Range.<br\/><br\/>&#8220;It&#8217;s great to see things all come together: the weapon design, the test preparation, the aircraft, the range and the people who made it happen,&#8221; Anna Schauer, director of Sandia&#8217;s Stockpile Resource Center, said in a statement.<br\/><br\/>Scientists are planning to spend months analyzing the data gathered from the test.<br\/><br\/>Tracking telescopes, remote cameras and other instruments at the test range recorded information on the reliability, accuracy and performance of the weapon under conditions that were meant to replicate real-world operations.<br\/><br\/>More test flights are planned over the next three years, and officials with the National Nuclear Security Administration said the first production unit of the B61-12 \u2014 developed under what is called the Life Extension Program \u2014 is scheduled to be completed in 2020.<br\/><br\/>The B61-12 consolidates and replaces four older versions in the nation&#8217;s nuclear arsenal. It&#8217;s outfitted with a new tail-kit assembly and other hardware.<br\/><br\/><br\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sandia National Laboratories 1\" data-alignment=\"center\" data-object-id=\"0000015b-7226-d395-a15b-7a6f54ab0000\" data-type=\"image\" src=\"http:\/\/snagfilms-a.akamaihd.net\/d3\/81\/b956aa1d4e12a54b30fa34a98545\/sandia-national-laboratories-1.jpg\"\/><figcaption> <span>In this March, 2017, photo supplied by Sandia National Laboratories, an F-16C from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada releases a mock nuclear weapon for a test at Tonopah Test Range near Tonopah, Nev. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights that are part of an effort to upgrade one of the nuclear weapons that has been in the U.S. arsenal for decades. <\/span><\/figcaption><figcaption> <span>Photo Credit: James Galli\/Sandia National Laboratories via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><br\/>The weapon is much different than the non-nuclear &#8220;mother of all bombs&#8221; used in Afghanistan this week to attack an Islamic State stronghold near the Pakistani border. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, isn&#8217;t designed to penetrate like the B61-12 but rather create a large blast over the surface and it has to be ferried by a much larger plane given its size.<br\/><br\/>In Nevada, it took two passes before the pilot could drop the mock B61-12. A herd of wild horses had to be chased away on the first go-around.<br\/><br\/>With the run commencing, people gathered on balconies at the range despite knowing they would see only dust rising from the target miles away. A video feed showed the test bomb fall through the air after being released by the F-16.<br\/><br\/>Officials said it left behind a rather neat hole. Crews were able to dig the mock weapon out of the dirt so it could be packed up and returned to Albuquerque for further study.<br\/><br\/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Work on the B61-12 has been ongoing for years, and government officials say the latest tests using mock versions of the bomb will be vital to the refurbishing 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