B61 nuclear bomb

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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...

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