B61
Country of origin
United States
United States
ManufacturerPantex Plant
The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear gravity bomb in the United States Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. It is a low-to-intermediate yield strategic and tactical nuclear weapon featuring a two-stage radiation implosion design.
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 ("modifications"). It is a Full Fuzing Option (FUFO) weapon, meaning it is equipped with several fuzing options including air burst, ground burst, free-fall, retarded free-fall (parachuted) and laydown delivery. It has a streamlined casing allowing its release by supersonic aircraft. It is 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) long, with a diameter of about 13 inches (33 cm); the basic weight of the B61 is about 700 pounds (320 kg), with weight differences for parachute delivery. As of 2020, the weapon was undergoing a 12th modification. In 2012, the roughly 400 B61-12s were estimated to each cost "more than its weight in gold" – $28 million apiece.
As of 2026, approximately 505 B61s are in service. The strategic B61-11 nuclear bunker buster is believed to be the only nuclear weapon assigned to the B-2 Spirit...
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 ("modifications"). It is a Full Fuzing Option (FUFO) weapon, meaning it is equipped with several fuzing options including air burst, ground burst, free-fall, retarded free-fall (parachuted) and laydown delivery. It has a streamlined casing allowing its release by supersonic aircraft. It is 11 ft 8 in (3.56 m) long, with a diameter of about 13 inches (33 cm); the basic weight of the B61 is about 700 pounds (320 kg), with weight differences for parachute delivery. As of 2020, the weapon was undergoing a 12th modification. In 2012, the roughly 400 B61-12s were estimated to each cost "more than its weight in gold" – $28 million apiece.
As of 2026, approximately 505 B61s are in service. The strategic B61-11 nuclear bunker buster is believed to be the only nuclear weapon assigned to the B-2 Spirit...
