Taking the Pulse of the
US Nuclear Arsenal
Fighter-Bomber
Aircraft
The U.S. Air Force has several dozen
fighter-bomber aircraft assigned to nuclear weapon missions with a total
of 650 B61 bombs of various types. All non-strategic B61 nuclear weapons
in the U.S. are thought to be based at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico and
Nellis AFB in Nevada. Approximately 150 bombs are still deployed in seven
European countries. The squadrons assigned to nuclear weapons missions,
and the munitions personnel and base security force all undergo periodic
nuclear weapons training, inspection, and certification.
Listed below the US and European bases
where nuclear weapons are based.
Continental U.S. Bases
Holloman
AFB, New Mexico
F-117A stealth aircraft
of the 49th Wing are assigned to nuclear weapons
missions. The aircraft is capable of carrying the B61 bomb.
|
|
Cannon
AFB, New Mexico
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F-16C/D
Falcon aircraft of the 27th Wing are assigned to overseas
operations with B61 nuclear weapons. The aircraft was also tested to
carry the new B61-11 earth penetrating bomb.
|
European Bases
Kleine Brogel, Belgium
Some ten B61 bombs are based here for delivery by Belgian F-16A/B
aircraft of the 10th Tactical Fighter Bomber Wing. U.S. control
of weapons assigned to 52nd Munitions Support Squadron.
Büechel Air Base, Germany
About ten B61 stored here are earmarked for delivery by German
PA-200 Tornado aircraft from the 33rd Fighter Bomber Wing. U.S.
control of weapons assigned to 817th Munitions Support
Squadron.
Ramstein
Air Base, Germany
Approximately 15 B61 are deployed to the 86th Airlift
Wing for delivery by U.S. F-16C/Ds that would deploy from continental
United States.
Spangdahlem
Air Base, Germany
Some twenty B61 bombs are assigned to the 52nd Fighter
Wing.
Araxos
Air Base, Greece
Approximately ten B61 bombs are earmarked for delivery by Greek
A-7E aircraft of the 116th Combat Wing. Nuclear weapons are
controlled by the U.S. 731st Munitions Support Squadron.
Aviano
Air Base, Italy
Approximately twenty B61 bombs are assigned for the 31st
Fighter Wing.
Ghedi-Torre
Air Base, Italy
Approximately ten B61 bombs are earmarked for delivery by Italian
PA-200 Tornado aircraft from the 6th Wing. The U.S. 31st
Munitions Support Squadron is in control of the weapons.
Volkel, Netherlands
Approximately ten B61 bombs are based here for delivery by Dutch
F-16A/B aircraft. The bombs are under control of the U.S. 752nd
Munitions Support Squadron.
Incirlik
Air Base, Turkey
Some 15 B61 bombs are kept here for delivery by aircraft from the
39th Wing. Control of the bombs is managed by the U.S. 39th
Munitions Support Squadron.
RAF
Lakenheath,
England
Approximately thirty B61 bombs are stored at this base for
delivery by U.S. F-15E aircraft of the 48th Fighter Wing.
Nuclear Warheads
The U.S. nuclear arsenal consists of some
8,400 operational warheads of 12 types.
Alterations and modifications are underway
on almost all nuclear warhead types. This effort ranges from
re-manufacturing of entire warheads to installment of individual
components, and includes:
- production of W88 warheads;
- overhaul of the W76 warhead for the
Trident SLBMs;
- modernizations/alterations of various
types of the B61 bomb including the planned production of primaries;
- completing certification of the new
B61-11 earth-penetrating bomb;
- overhaul of the W87 warhead for the MX/Peacekeeper;
and
- modernizations to the B83 and the B83
Mod 1 bombs.
Many of these warheads and the fissile
materials in them up are subject to a variety of tests and experiments in
upcoming years. Types of tests include:
- Hydro Tests, or hydrodynamic tests, are,
according to the Deparment of Energy (DOE), "high-explosive
nonuclear experiments to investigate hydrodynamic aspects of primary
function up to mid to late stages of pit implosion."
"Hydrodynamic" refers to the study of the motion of fluids.
- Subcritical nuclear tests are, again
according to the DOE, "scientific experiments to obtain technical
information in support of DOE's responsibility to maintain the safety
and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile without nuclear
testing. They will involve chemical high explosives to generate high
pressures that will be applied to nuclear weapon materials, such as
plutonium." See Nevada
Test Site and Subcriticals
section of the Nuclear Weapons Complex page for more information.
Below is the status of operational warheads
in the U.S. arsenal:
W88
Some 384 W88 warheads are deployed on Trident
II (D-5) missiles. There are
approximately 400 total in the stockpile. Seven laboratory and three
stockpile surveillance tests are scheduled for FY1999. All spare warheads
will be used for ground and Hydro Tests, and a pit rebuild program to
replace those warheads expended in surveillance will start in FY1998.
Small-scale re-manufacturing is scheduled to begin at Los Alamos in
FY2001. A development flight test for a remanufactured pit-warhead is
scheduled for FY2000, and another development flight test is planned for
FY2002 under the Replacement Warhead Project.
W87
About 525 W87s are in the
stockpile, of which 500 are operational on MX/Peacekeeper missiles.
The warhead is described by the DOE as "the most modern and
safe warhead in the stockpile," but the W87 is nonetheless
undergoing a Life Extension Program (Alt 342) which will modify the
design to enhance structural integrity of the warhead. |
W87 Warheads
for the MX missile
|
The W87 is the first warhead in the U.S.
arsenal to undergo this process. The project includes above ground
experiments and flight testing. Production of replacement parts will begin
in FY1999 and the first refurbished warhead is scheduled to be completed
in February 1999. Eight laboratory, three flight stockpile surveillance
tests, and two Retrofit Evaluation System ground tests are scheduled for
FY1999, and an annual Hydro Test is planned for the following three years.
After the Peacekeeper is retired, modernized W87 warheads are scheduled to
be transferred to some of the Minuteman III missiles the U.S. plans to
retain under the START II agreement. This redeployment is scheduled to
begin in FY2004. Rebuilding of W87 warheads intended for surveillance will
resume in FY2010.
B84
Previously deployed on Ground-Launched
Cruise Missiles (GLCMs), B84 warheads are now held in storage in the
inactive stockpile. Two Hydro Tests were conducted in 1991 and one in
1998. Another is scheduled for FY2000. Surveillance samples are planned to
be retired and the DOE is currently assessing whether to maintain the
warhead in the inactive stockpile.
B83
Some 600 B63 warheads are
in the arsenal, with about 480 operational on long-range bombers.
Under project Alt 750, the bomb is being equipped with a new radar.
An upgraded version, designated as B83 Mod 1, is scheduled to begin
production in FY1999. Ten
laboratory and three flight tests are planned for FY1999. |
A B83 after a test drop
by parachute.
|
Five Hydro Tests were
conducted in FY1998, and annual Hydro Tests are scheduled to begin in
FY2000 alternating between warheads from the inactive and active
stockpile. A new design neutron generator is scheduled to begin production
in FY2013.
W80-1/ALCM
Some 400 W80-1/ALCM warheads on
Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs) are earmarked for delivery by B-52H
bombers. ALCMs are being converted to conventional missions and about 940
are in storage with their warheads removed.
For this warhead and the two W80 warheads
below, planning is underway to replace the neutron generator, with
production scheduled to commence in late 2004. Six laboratory, six flight,
and one Hydro Test are scheduled for FY1999.
W80-1/ACM
ACM in flight
|
Approximately 400
W80-1/ACM warheads in the operational arsenal are deployed on
Advanced Cruise Missiles (ACMs) and assigned to long-range bombers.
These warheads were originally deployed on ALCMs. The ACM first flew
in 1985. It is approximately 20 feet long, 10 feet wide, and weighs
in the neighborhood of 3,700 pounds.Its range is purported to be
approximately 1,800 miles. |
W80-0/SLCM
Approximately 320 W80-0/SCLM
warheads on Submarine-Launched Cruise Missiles (SCLMs) are in the
operational arsenal for deployment on submarines. These are stored
at Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia, and Bangor, Washington.
The SLCM, also known as the Tomahawk, is a long-range cruise missile
that can be used against surface ships or land targets, employing
conventional or nuclear warheads. |
Nuclear-capable
Tomahawk SLCM
|
The recent US attacks on Afghanistan and
Sudan were carried out with conventional Tomahawks. The missile entered
submarine service in1983. Tomahawk missiles can be launched from standard
21-inch torpedo tubes on all submarines and, in the later Los Angeles
(688I) class submarines, from vertical-launch tubes in the submarine's
bow.
W78
W78 Warheads on
Minuteman III nose
|
About 915 W78 warheads are
deployed on 300 Minuteman III missiles. New reservoirs and neutron
generators are planned to modernize the warhead and improve
performance. A Joint Life Extension Study will be completed in
FY1999 to determine options for extending the life of the W78 for
the enduring stockpile. Eight laboratory tests and three flight
tests are scheduled for FY1999, and a limited Hydro Test series is
currently under development with the first explosion planned for
FY2001. |
W76
Some 3,072 W76 warheads are on 384 Trident
I C-4 and Trident II D-5 missiles, with a total of 3,200 in the stockpile.
These warheads began Dual Revalidation in FY1996. The Department of Energy
reported in March 1998 that it was half way through the project.
Completion is scheduled for FY1999. The project is a robust peer review of
the warhead's military characteristics, conducted by two independent
review teams from the nuclear labs, assessing and evaluating its
performance against revalidated military requirements. Three of six
hydrodynamic tests were conducted in 1997 and six of 15 Arming, Fuzing and
Firing systems were tested to the original production specifications. The
major system tests are scheduled to take place in FY1998 and FY1999. The
result will provide a modern baseline of the weapon, an evaluation of its
current performance in the arsenal, and a new generation of scientists and
personnel trained in its operation to ensure the warhead can remain a
reliable part of the enduring nuclear arsenal well into the 21st century.
Furthermore, under program Alt 317, the warhead is being refitted with a
new neutron generator to improve performance. Production is scheduled to
begin in 1999. Eight laboratory tests and three flight stockpile
surveillance tests are planned for FY1999. A Hydro Test is proposed for
FY2000.
W62
Approximately 610 W62 warheads are deployed
on 200 Minuteman III missiles. As recent as in 1994, the Pentagon planned
to retire W62 warheads in 2003. The warheads are expected to be replaced
by W87s from the MX/Peacekeeper when the START II treaty is implemented.
The DOE is evaluating whether to extend the life of the W62 for service in
the enduring stockpile. Nine laboratory and two flight tests are scheduled
for FY1999, and three Hydro Tests will be conducted in the period
1998-2000.
B61-7
Some 300 B61-7 are in the operational
stockpile. Another 310 are in storage. Approximately 50 were converted to
earth-penetrating missions as the B61-11 bomb.
An improved 9S actuator is being
installed as part of a Limited Life Component Exchange project (Alt 336),
and a new radar is being installed.
For both the B61-7 and the B61-11 below,
seven laboratory and four flight tests are scheduled during FY1999. A
Hydro Test is planned for FY2001. A new primary for the B61-7/11 bombs
will begin production in late 2002.
B61-11
About 50 B61-11 bombs are
in the operational stockpile. This weapon is the newest in the US
arsenal. First originated in 1993, the Mod 11 is designed as a
"bunker buster" - capable of attacking hardened targets
underground. The B61-11 is a replacement for the B53, which was
assigned the bunker buster role because of its large yield. The Mod
11 is designed to penetrate targets before exploding, and thus in
theory does not need as large a yield to fulfil its mission. |
A B-2 bomber
drops a B61-11.
|
Conversion to full operational status of
the B61-11 continues at Whiteman
AFB, Missouri, and certification
activities are expected to be completed in 1998 for standard stockpile
acceptance in December 1998. See the B61-7
above for the Mod 11 test schedule.
B61-4/5/10
There are approximately 750 B61-4/5/10
warheads for use on F-15E, F-16, and F-117 aircraft. Several alterations
are underway on the B61, including: Alt 335, which installs a Trajectory
Sensing Signal Generator; Alt 336, which installs a new CF3087 cable; and
Alt 339, which installs a Multiple Code Coded Switch Encryption
Translator. A new nose is under development to equip the bomb with a
modern radar to maintain system performance. Production is scheduled to
begin in late 2002. During FY1999, 11 laboratory and 4 flight tests are
scheduled, and the first in a series of biannual Hydrodynamic test is
planned for FY2001. Development of a new primary is scheduled for FY2011
with production to begin in FY2012.
New warheads
At the nuclear laboratories, warhead
development efforts continue, including a replacement warhead for the
Trident II D-5 (Mk5) reentry vehicle, a stand-off glide bomb version
(BIOS) of the B61-11 bomb, and several classified projects.
Nuclear War Planning
Nuclear war planning is centered at the U.S.
Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) in Offutt AFB, Nebraska, which has
overall command over all U.S. nuclear weapons. The regional commands at Central
Command, European Command, Pacific
Command, and Southern Command
(this link currently having problems) carry out regional nuclear planning
and provide input to STRATCOM.
STRATCOM is responsible for the Single
Integrated Operation Plan (SIOP). First drawn up in the early 1960s, the
SIOP outlines a range of nuclear attack options coordinating the potential
delivery of individual nuclear warheads by bombers, ballistic missiles,
and cruise missiles against Russia, China, and a number of
"rogue" states such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and
Syria.
The current war plan that is in effect is
SIOP 98, completed in October 1997 shortly before President Clinton issued
new guidelines for nuclear war planning (Precidential Decision Directive
60). Planning for SIOP 99 began soon thereafter and the updated nuclear
war plan will take effect in October 1998. In December 1998 and January
1999, nuclear planners will begin to update strike plans for bombers,
ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. The product of that effort will
be SIOP 00, scheduled to take effect in October 1999.
To validate the nuclear war plans, STRATCOM
conducts several nuclear war gaming exercises and seminars annually. This
includes the Global Archer, Global Gardian, Bulwark Bronze, and Polo Hat
exercises. Some of these exercises are conducted by STRATCOM alone or in
conjunction with other commands such as Air
Combat Command and the regional commands.
The CINC Strategic Planning Series (CSPS)
game is conducted at least once a year, typically in early September,
shortly before completion of the annual revision of the SIOP. The game
generally focuses on near-term SIOP operational readiness or future force
structure capabilities addressing such topics as for structure
requirements, deterrent contributions, or war-fighting capabilities. It is
carried out in support of the CINC, Senior Battle Staff, USSTRATCOM staff,
and USSTRATCOM Task Force Commanders.
Global Archer, a large-scale quarterly
exercise program, is intended to test, evaluate, and refine procedures and
plans for nuclear strike and nuclear follow-up strike scenarios. The
Global Archer exercises are accompanied by the Global Support Seminar (GSS)
held each year, normally in early February, to explore issues associated
with the Theater Nuclear Support (TNS) process. Global Guardian exercises
are held in October-November each year to practice TNS operations in
tactical nuclear operations in, for example, the European or Pacific
theaters.
Nuclear Weapons Complex
In the absence of nuclear weapons test
explosions and the halt to the development of "new" nuclear
weapons, the United States is designing an ambitious program which
involves building a wide range of facilities that will be capable of
simulating physical conditions and engineering designs as close to actual
nuclear weapons explosion conditions as possible. The Department of Energy
plans to spend $4.5 billion on nuclear weapons activities in FY1999, a 15
percent increase in spending over FY1997. Facilities currently under
construction will provide the capability to research and develop both
primary and secondary aspects of modern nuclear weapons without nuclear
weapons test explosions. The two-part objective is, one, to maintain about
a dozen different nuclear warhead designs in the operational nuclear
arsenal for the indefinite future, and two, remanufacture or modify
existing nuclear warheads to replace defect or outdated models to serve
current and future missions.
Central to achieving this capability is the
construction and/or modernization of hydro-test facilities, advanced
lasers, limited production lines, and advanced computer facilities.
Hydrodynamic testing is the principle experimental technique for studying
the implosion phase of a nuclear weapon, and laser facilities will enable
weapons scientists to do on a minute scale what until recently required a
live test explosion of a nuclear warhead.
Los
Alamos National Laboratory
(LANL)
In 1998, the U.S. will re-open a production
line for the manufacturing of plutonium cores for nuclear warheads. The
production will build pits for replacement warheads in the arsenal
beginning with Trident II W88 warheads in FY2001. However, already in
FY1998, the program will have advanced so far as to begin production of a
single pit per year verifying that Los Alamos National Laboratory has the
capability to build war reserve pits. In FY1999, manufacturing will begin
of a limited number of pits for certification and later deployment into
the operational nuclear stockpile. Up to 10 pits will be manufactured per
year by FY2001. By FY2007, the year the START II treaty cuts are to have
been achieved, the Los Alamos production line will be able to produce 20
new pits a year. In addition, a plan is being developed to allow
manufacturing up to 50 pits a year with a single shift of personnel.
Development of a contingency plan for producing even larger quantities is
on hold until more experience has been obtained from the current
production line.
Also under construction at LANL is the Dual
Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test (DARHT). When completed, this will be
the most advanced facility for hydrodynamic experiments to validate the
implosion performance of nuclear warhead primaries. The DARHT will serve
as one of the principle tools for evaluating and ensuring the reliability
of the nuclear stockpile. Through full-size hydrodynamic tests of
non-nuclear mockups, the DARHT will be used to validate the implosion of
nuclear weapons primaries. The first axis of the test firing facility will
be operational by June 1999 about which time long-lead procurement will
begin for other aspects of the facility. A decision is scheduled to be
made before 2003 whether to build an advanced hydrotest facility to
further enhance the capability to simulate nuclear weapon implosions.
LANL will also be the location of the ATLAS
facility, a new pulsed-power machine approved by the DOE in June 1998.
When completed in the fall of 2000, ATLAS will be used to simulate the
implosion of plutonium in nuclear warheads. By using intense bursts of
electrical current directed against a small target, samples of plutonium
will implode, compressing the material to extreme pressures similar to
those inside an exploding nuclear warhead. ATLAS will have the capability
to simulate both nuclear weapons primaries and secondaries. Construction
cost is $43 million and ATLAS is expected to operate for 20 years.
Sandia
National Laboratory (SNL)
Sandia is the location of the Z-pulse power
facility which conducts x-ray pulse experiments to validate performance of
nuclear warhead components. The facility saw an "extraordinary
increase" in performance in 1997 and in 1998 the Z machine will
perform about 200 x-ray shots in support of nuclear weapons maintenance.
The DOE is currently considering a proposal to fund construction of an
advanced accelerator at SNL capable of producing high-yield fusion. If
funded, the X-1 would achieve initial operating capability in 2007 and
produce high-yield fusion by about 2010.
Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)
Under construction at LLNL is the National
Ignition Facility (NIF), the
world’s largest laser. NIF is among the most important experimental
facilities to test the advanced computational capabilities needed to check
the performance of nuclear weapons. When completed, NIF will able come
near to simulating the pressure, temperature, and density that occurs
during the detonation of a nuclear weapons. NIF will be used to examine
boosting of warhead primaries. For the first time, it will also be
possible in the laboratory to study radiation physics in an environment
close to that which exists in a nuclear weapons secondary. NIF will also
be used to study weapons effects and for improving and validating new
physics models and computer codes for nuclear warheads developed by the
Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (see below). Construction of
NIF was begun in May 1997 and is scheduled to be completed in the fall of
2003. The total cost will be, at a minimum, $1.2 billion. Startup
activities are scheduled to begin in FY2001, and will include experiments
with the eight first lasers.
Other laser programs at LLNL include the Strategic
Materials Applications Program (SMAP)
which, among other applications, develops technologies for using advanced
lasers to produce uranium and plutonium for nuclear weapons.
LLNL is also the location of the Flash
X-Ray (FXR) facility which is used to investigate the performance of
nuclear weapons primaries. In 1995, for example, both the W84 and W87
warhead were subject to tests to investigate behavior near the end of the
implosion face. LLNL is hydro-testing "all LLNL weapon designs using
our most modern experimental capabilities and numerical models to gain
up-to-date insight into their safety and performance". A three-year
upgrade of FXR was completed in 1995, another upgrade was begun in October
that year, and in 1996 work was begun to convert the facility to a
Contained Firing Facility. This facility is the most versatile and
complete test firing facility in the world.
Nevada
Test Site (NTS)
and Subcritical
Nuclear Tests
Established in 1950 as the Atomic Energy
Commission's on-continent proving ground, the Nevada Test Site has been
the site of over 900 atmospheric and underground nuclear tests. Since the
nuclear weapons testing moratorium in 1992 and under the direction of the
Department of Energy (DOE), other nuclear-related work has expanded.
The Department of Energy,
as part of its Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, is
conducting "subcritical" explosions involving small
amounts of plutonium at NTS each year. These experiments are carried
out in the U1a
Experimental Facility almost
1000 feet below the surface. They provide information about the
behavior of nuclear materials during the implosion phase of a
nuclear warhead. |
U1a Facility:
Location of Subcriticals
|
Although the amount and configuration of
plutonium used in the experiments is designed so that no nuclear explosion
will take place, the objective is the same as with full-scale nuclear test
explosions: to obtain data about the performance of nuclear warheads. The
data obtained is used to further develop computer simulation capabilities
and to certify the performance of nuclear weapons in the operational
stockpile.
Two subcritical experiments were conducted
at the NTS in 1997, "Rebound"
on 2 July, and "Holog"
on 18 September. On 25 March 1998, "Stagecoach"
was conducted, followed by "Bagpipe" on 26 September and "Cimarron"
on 9 December. In 1999, "Clarinet"
was conducted on 9 February. Two to four more subcritical explosions are
planned to be conducted at the NTS in FY1999. The United States maintains
that these tests do not violate the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
(CTBT). The US has signed but not yet ratified the CTBT. Other countries
have protested these tests.
A plan to upgrade the U1a facility to
future needs will be completed in 1998. In addition to these experiments,
the overall NTS is maintained at a 2-3 year readiness to resume nuclear
testing in the future if necessary.
NTS is also the location of the Big
Explosives Experimental Facility
(BEEF), designed to contain the detonation of conventional explosives. The
facility is used to carry out hydrodynamic experiments to test the
implosion process in a nuclear warhead.
Tritium Production Facility
In 1998, the DOE will decide whether to use
a civilian nuclear power plant or an accelerator to produce tritium for
the nuclear warheads. Fuel rods are currently being irradiated in the
reactor core of the TVA power plant in Tennessee to test the feasibility
of producing nuclear bomb fuel in a civilian reactor. If the decision is
made to use a civilian reactor as the primary tritium production facility,
production is scheduled to begin in FY2003, the same year the START II
treaty is intended to enter into force. Actual extraction of the tritium
would begin by FY2005.
Accelerated
Strategic Computing System (ASCI)
In the wake of the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty, the United States has begun an extensive multi-million dollar
effort to replace live nuclear weapons test explosions with
high-performance computer simulation. Commonly referred to as the
Accelerated Strategic Computing System, the three nuclear weapons labs and
a number of private industries are currently building up a capability not
only to test the reliability and safety of nuclear weapons but also to
explore advanced nuclear designs. The result is that less than 10 years
after President Clinton signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the
United States will be capable of maintaining a nuclear deterrent
indefinitely without nuclear testing.
Overall, at least five different projects
are underway aiming at achieving computer simulations with a 100 trillion
operations per second (teraflops) capability by 2004. This computer
simulation capability is needed for realistic weapon system modeling (and
aging) and will be used to perform sustained nuclear weapons simulations
and evaluate the reliability (performance), storage, accidents, and aging
factors of nuclear weapons, as well as support annual certification of the
warheads in the enduring arsenal. One specific purpose is to conduct
"next generation [nuclear] weapon simulations."
In February 1998, the DOE signed a $85
million contract with the IBM Corporation for building a 10
trillion-operations-per-second computer system. The computer will be built
at LLNL and completed in 2000. According to a LLNL press release, the goal
of ASCI’s is not only to "develop the capability to simulate
nuclear weapons’ behavior to ensure their safety and reliability over
the long term," but also to be able to "calculate improved
weapon physics."
Pantex
Plant
The Pantex Plant is used to retrofit,
maintain, and repair nuclear weapons in the stockpile, fabricate chemical
high explosives for nuclear weapons, disassembly of nuclear weapons being
retired from the stockpile, and interim storage of plutonium components
from dismantled weapons. The facility also handles uranium, plutonium, and
tritium components for the nuclear weapons.
Kansas City Plant
This is the principal fabrication facility
for non-nuclear components for U.S. nuclear weapons. Production includes
electrical, electronic, electromechanical, plastic, and metallic
components; fuzing and firing systems and composite structures; telemetry
assemblies and neutron detectors for flight test assemblies; as well as
test equipment capable of performing electrical and mechanical tests on
non-nuclear nuclear weapon components. During FY1999, the plant will
produce tritium/deuterium reservoirs for the B61 and W88 warheads and plan
production of reservoirs for the W76, W78, W80, and W87 warheads.
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