The National Nuclear Security Administration announced on May 19, 2025, that production of the first B61-13 variant nuclear bomb has been completed at the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas.
The first completed bomb unit was unveiled at a small ceremony at the vast Pantex nuclear weapons facility, 20 miles from Amarillo, Texas, where U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright applied the final stamp marking on the bomb’s casing. He was joined by representatives of stakeholders from across the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and supporting industries.
It was my honor today to stamp the first completed B61-13 unit at the @PantexPlant!
This achievement signals to our adversaries and allies alike that the U.S. is prepared to meet the challenges of today’s environment from a position of strength and security. pic.twitter.com/1kgT3OF5Fa
— Secretary Chris Wright (@SecretaryWright) May 19, 2025
The B61-13, or B61 Mod 13, will serve alongside the now in-service B61-12, a guided free-fall nuclear weapon that can be employed by tactical fighter aircraft through to strategic bombers. The B61-13 features a higher yield compared to the B61-12, replacing the B61-7 that previously acted as a higher yield variant of the B61 family. It carries over the improvements made to the B61-12, including guidance for improved accuracy, as well as more modern safety and security measures.
The B61 family is the longest serving type of nuclear weapon in the U.S. arsenal, and thanks to these upgrades will continue in service for a number of decades to come. Remarkably, the decision to build the B61-13 variant was publicly announced only two years ago, and the program as a whole is being delivered ahead of schedule.
Faster production of new B61-13 high-yield guided nuke “responding to a critical challenge and urgent need.”
“Unprecedented” rapid development of SLCM-N using “clean-sheet approach” exploring ability to “deliver a weapon system in less than five years.” https://t.co/WKnAtVEdzA pic.twitter.com/qPJNmsjZWt
— Hans Kristensen (also on Bluesky) (@nukestrat) April 14, 2025
Chris Wright, U.S. Secretary of Energy, paid tribute to the amount of work it had taken to deliver B61-13 in record time: “The remarkable speed of the B61-13’s production is a testament to the ingenuity of our scientists and engineers and the urgency we face to fortify deterrence in a volatile new age. It was my honor today to stamp the first completed unit at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, where all the efforts of NNSA’s labs, plants, and sites culminated in this amazing milestone. This achievement signals American strength to our adversaries and allies alike.”
To maintain the U.S. nuclear weapon stockpile at approximately the same level, the B61-13 will take the place of part of the previously planned B61-12 stockpile. A higher yield option was desired to avoid the loss of such a capability when existing B61-7s reach the end of their useful lives and to allow for the withdrawal of all B83 series weapons.
Higher yield weapons are said to be required as counters to extensively hardened underground targets, as well as to provide a larger blast effect for use against widely spread military targets. The weapon, according to the Department of Defense, is intended to provide the President of the United States with “additional options” when considering nuclear strikes against these types of targets.
Notably, the graphic displayed alongside the first B61-13 unit depicts the weapon being deployed by a B-21 Raider. The Raider will be the primary platform intended to field the larger-yield weapon. Tactical fighters, like the F-35, do not currently appear to be a priority for the Mod 13, though theoretically speaking there is not likely to be any barrier to the weapon’s integration with such aircraft.
The B-21 Raider is as close to an ideal platform for such a weapon as can be envisaged at present, as the unpowered bomb must be released at a relatively close distance to the intended target. This would almost certainly be within range of hostile air defenses. B-52 Stratofortresses, which are large and extremely vulnerable to such defenses, instead rely on AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCM) to provide a nuclear strike role from a standoff distance. A standoff capability will also come to the B-21 in the form of the AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off Weapon (LRSO), the intended ALCM replacement.
B61-12s meanwhile will be deployed extensively alongside tactical aircraft including the F-35, as well as legacy platforms like the F-16. U.S. owned B61 family weapons have long been stationed overseas under NATO command under the nuclear sharing program, pre-positioned for delivery by Allied aircraft under overall NATO war plans. Bases included in this program include Volkel in the Netherlands, Aviano and Ghedi in Italy, Incirlik in Turkey, Büchel in Germany, and Kleine Brogel in Belgium.
Weapons Storage and Security System (WS3) vaults used for nuclear weapons storage are also located at RAF Marham and RAF Lakenheath in the UK. Those at Marham are unlikely to return to use, but RAF Lakenheath, operated by the U.S. Air Force, is thought to be in line to house nuclear weapons for the first known time since 2008.
