The ability to deploy the B61 gravitational nuclear bomb was one of the main arguments that led Belgium to choose Lockheed's F35 to replace its F16, and to neglect European-made devices, such as the Typhoon or Rafale. This is also an argument regularly put forward by the United States and NATO to get Germany to reverse its decision not to equip itself with F35As to replace its Tornadoes, which still carry the B61, or at least to favor the F/A 18 E/F Super Hornet over Typhoon of local construction in this competition. However, the US Air Force has just withdrawn gravitational nuclear bombs from the arsenal of its B-52H strategic bombers. The paradox has something to question….
Indeed, by the voice of Nuclear Information Project, Hans Kristensen, who was speaking to the Federation of American Scientists, the US Air Force comes re remove the nuclear gravity bombs B61-7 and B83-1 of the arsenal carried by the strategic bombers B52-H, to leave in service, in terms of nuclear weapons, only the missile AGM-86B equipped with a nuclear warhead W80-1. The reason given is that it was now essential for strategic strike devices to fire at a great distance from their target, out of the reach of denial of access systems which now represent too great a threat to attempt to penetrate them. deliver gravitational ammunition. And of range, the AGM-86B has no shortage of it, since it can hit targets 2400 kilometers away, leaving the B52 effectively out of range of long-range anti-aircraft systems, like the Russian S500, or combat aircraft equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles. But if the mission is too dangerous for the American planes, why the European air forces could hope to manage to implement these same bombs B61?
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