MADRID, 28 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The US Department of Defense has decided this Thursday to withdraw from its arsenal the B83-1 nuclear weapon, the most powerful free-fall bomb in the United States, alleging a growing number of limitations due to its capabilities and therefore an increase in costs. of maintenance.
The decision comes after the Pentagon has continued with its program to replace nuclear warheads whose useful life requires replacement, at which time US authorities have determined a high cost to maintain the B83-1 weapon.
“Although the US nuclear arsenal remains safe and effective, most nuclear deterrent systems are operating beyond their original useful life… The free-fall bomb B83-1 will be retired due to increasing limitations of its capabilities and the increase in maintenance costs,” the Department of Defense has detailed in a statement.
The US government has also announced the withdrawal of the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile program, which was originally created to strengthen nuclear weapons deterrence in a regional conflict (SLCM-N).
“We have come to the conclusion that SLCM-N was no longer necessary,” said a Defense Department official, arguing that the US deterrence stance was “strong”, which is why Russia would not dare to attack Russia. NATO.
