The F-35A stealth fighter has been officially certified to carry the B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bomb, Ednews reports citing the Breaking Defense online magazine.
Citing a spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), the magazine reported that the certification issued for carrying the B61-12 was achieved on October 12, 2023, ahead of a pledge that it would wrap by January 2024. The certification does not extend to the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B and carrier-launched F-35C.
The US Air Force press service has not yet responded to a TASS correspondent’s question about how many F-35A stealth jets are planned to be deployed in Europe.
The first production unit of the upgraded B61 nuclear bomb, which entered into service back in 1968, rolled out in November 2021. It will replace "three of the four existing variants of the B61 munition." The modernized warhead will oust the B61-3, B61-4 and B61-7 modifications.
