By CHRIS MELORE, ASSISTANT SCIENCE EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 21:21 BST, 8 April 2025 | Updated: 21:21 BST, 8 April 2025

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America's newest weapon of mass destruction is going into production seven months ahead of schedule as fears of a war with China continue to grow. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico are kickstarting development of the B61-13, a nuclear 'gravity bomb' that was originally slated to go into production for the US Air Force in 2026. Gravity bombs are literally what they sound like, a bomb dropped from a military plane which lets gravity do all the work.

America’s newest weapon of mass destruction is going into production seven months ahead of schedule as fears of a war with China continue to grow. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico are kickstarting development of the B61-13, a nuclear ‘gravity bomb’ that was originally slated to go into production for the US Air Force in 2026. Gravity bombs are literally what they sound like, a bomb dropped from a military plane which lets gravity do all the work.

The timeline was moved up due to the 'critical challenge and urgent need' for a new nuclear deterrent - a threat that's hopefully big enough to discourage America's enemies from attacking first. The B61-13 is 24 times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. That first atom bomb, called 'Little Boy,' had a yield of about 15 kilotons - the explosive equivalent of 15,000 tons of TNT. The B61-13, on the other hand, is designed to have a yield of around 360 kilotons, or 360,000 tons of TNT.

The timeline was moved up due to the ‘critical challenge and urgent need’ for a new nuclear deterrent – a threat that’s hopefully big enough to discourage America’s enemies from attacking first. The B61-13 is 24 times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. That first atom bomb, called ‘Little Boy,’ had a yield of about 15 kilotons – the explosive equivalent of 15,000 tons of TNT. The B61-13, on the other hand, is designed to have a yield of around 360 kilotons, or 360,000 tons of TNT.

This particular weapon was scheduled to become the full-time replacement for older nuclear bombs carried by US stealth bombers and dropped over targets without warning by 2028. However, with growing economic and military tensions between the US and major powers like China and Russia , the dramatically updated timeline could put a terrifying new weapon on the battlefield by the end of this year. The team at Sandia added that their sped-up schedule will also cut the overall production time on the B61-13 nuclear bomb by 25 percent.

This particular weapon was scheduled to become the full-time replacement for older nuclear bombs carried by US stealth bombers and dropped over targets without warning by 2028. However, with growing economic and military tensions between the US and major powers like China and Russia , the dramatically updated timeline could put a terrifying new weapon on the battlefield by the end of this year. The team at Sandia added that their sped-up schedule will also cut the overall production time on the B61-13 nuclear bomb by 25 percent.

In September, the US Department of Energy said: 'The B61-13 will provide the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets.' Despite the US military rushing new nukes into production, government officials noted that the move won't increase the country's already massive nuclear stockpile. The new bomb will have the same explosive yield as its predecessor, the Cold War-era B61-7, estimated to be 360,000 tons, giving off a blast radius of roughly 190,000 feet, the length of two Manhattans . As production of the B61-13 ramps up this year, the Department of Energy revealed that fewer B61-12 nuclear bombs will be created.

In September, the US Department of Energy said: ‘The B61-13 will provide the President with additional options against certain harder and large-area military targets.’ Despite the US military rushing new nukes into production, government officials noted that the move won’t increase the country’s already massive nuclear stockpile. The new bomb will have the same explosive yield as its predecessor, the Cold War-era B61-7, estimated to be 360,000 tons, giving off a blast radius of roughly 190,000 feet, the length of two Manhattans . As production of the B61-13 ramps up this year, the Department of Energy revealed that fewer B61-12 nuclear bombs will be created.

The B61-12 was the latest nuclear weapon created by the military's Life Extension Program (LEP), which modernizes older versions of these bombs to make them safer and more reliable. The B61-13 takes the warhead from the existing B61-7, which has been around since the 1980s, and pairs it with the newer features of the B61-12, like enhanced safety systems and a precision-guidance tail kit. While the current B61-12 is certified to be carried by the B-2 stealth bomber and fighters like F-15 Eagle and F-35 Lightning, the B61-13 is scheduled to be carried by America's newest stealth bomber currently under construction - the B-21 Raider.

The B61-12 was the latest nuclear weapon created by the military’s Life Extension Program (LEP), which modernizes older versions of these bombs to make them safer and more reliable. The B61-13 takes the warhead from the existing B61-7, which has been around since the 1980s, and pairs it with the newer features of the B61-12, like enhanced safety systems and a precision-guidance tail kit. While the current B61-12 is certified to be carried by the B-2 stealth bomber and fighters like F-15 Eagle and F-35 Lightning, the B61-13 is scheduled to be carried by America’s newest stealth bomber currently under construction – the B-21 Raider.

Plans for the B61-13 have been in the works since 2023, when the Biden Administration feared Russia's invasion of Ukraine could escalate into a devastating war throughout Europe. If dropped over a city like Beijing, the B61-13 would likely cause significant devastation, with an estimated 788,000 dead and 2.2 million injured. Anything within an half-mile radius of the bomb's detonation site would be vaporized by the ensuing fireball and the blast would demolish buildings and kill nearly everyone else within a mile.

Plans for the B61-13 have been in the works since 2023, when the Biden Administration feared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could escalate into a devastating war throughout Europe. If dropped over a city like Beijing, the B61-13 would likely cause significant devastation, with an estimated 788,000 dead and 2.2 million injured. Anything within an half-mile radius of the bomb’s detonation site would be vaporized by the ensuing fireball and the blast would demolish buildings and kill nearly everyone else within a mile.

Those within a two-mile radius of the detonation site would also suffer from high levels of radiation that would likely kill them within a month. An additional 15 percent of the survivors would likely die from cancer later in their lives. Currently, the US has approximately 5,044 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, with Russia being the only country that has more. However, five countries - China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea - have all increased their nuclear stockpiles by over 700 warheads over the past 40 years.

Those within a two-mile radius of the detonation site would also suffer from high levels of radiation that would likely kill them within a month. An additional 15 percent of the survivors would likely die from cancer later in their lives. Currently, the US has approximately 5,044 nuclear warheads in its arsenal, with Russia being the only country that has more. However, five countries – China, Pakistan, India, Israel, and North Korea – have all increased their nuclear stockpiles by over 700 warheads over the past 40 years.

The fears of an impending nuclear war come as groups like the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have noted that a treaty to permanently ban nuclear testing has stalled, and countries like Russia and China have been seen constructing new buildings at their nuclear weapons sites . In February, the US government also announced that it will also restart its nuclear testing programs in secret underground facilities .

The fears of an impending nuclear war come as groups like the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have noted that a treaty to permanently ban nuclear testing has stalled, and countries like Russia and China have been seen constructing new buildings at their nuclear weapons sites . In February, the US government also announced that it will also restart its nuclear testing programs in secret underground facilities .

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US reveals plans for nuke 24 times more powerful than Hiroshima bomb

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