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Y-12: Work complete on W76-1 warhead program

Posted at 11:23 pm January 21, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Photo from National Nuclear Security Administration fact sheet on the W76-1 Life Extension Program.

Photo from National Nuclear Security Administration fact sheet on the W76-1 Life Extension Program.

 

Note This story was updated at 4:40 p.m. Jan. 26.

After two decades, work was completed in December on a program to extend the life of the W76 nuclear warhead, the Y-12 National Security Complex said on Monday.

That ended a decade of work to extend the service life of the original warhead design by 40 years, Y-12 said.

“This warhead plays a vital role in maintaining the nation’s credible nuclear deterrent,” said Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, which manages and operates Y-12 for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

The Life Extension Program, or LEP, is for the W76-1 warhead. The W76-1 is a refurbished W76-0 warhead. The W76-0 warhead is a submarine-launched ballistic missile system that was first introduced into the stockpile for the U.S. Navy in 1978. The warhead is deployed with Trident II D5 missiles on Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, LEP, life extension program, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, nuclear ballistic missile submarine, nuclear warhead, nuclear weapons stockpile, Rick Perry, Trident II D5 missile, U.S. Department of Energy, W76, W76 nuclear warhead, W76-0, W76-1, W76-1 Life Extension Program, W76-1 warhead, warhead, Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 facilities could be crucial in plan to replace W78 warhead

Posted at 1:41 pm December 4, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

U.S. Air Force missile maintainers working on an intercontinental ballistic missile. (Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Braydon Williams/GAO-19-84)

U.S. Air Force missile maintainers working on an intercontinental ballistic missile. (Source: U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Braydon Williams/GAO-19-84)

 

The National Nuclear Security Administration is preparing to restart a program to replace the W78 nuclear warhead, and new facilities at the Y-12 National Security Complex could be important to that project, a federal agency said Friday.

The W78 is one of two types of warheads on U.S. Air Force intercontinental ballistic missiles. The W87 is the other.

Critical components inside the W78 are aging, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which published a report about the warhead replacement program on Friday. Also, the military’s requirements for, among other things, the safety and security features of the warhead have changed since it entered the stockpile in 1979, the GAO said.

Besides being used by the Air Force, the replacement W78 warhead could be used in ballistic missiles launched from Navy submarines, although further studies are required, the GAO said.

The two Y-12 facilities that could affect the warhead replacement program are the Uranium Processing Facility, which is now under construction, and the Lithium Production Facility, which could have a new building through a project that is still in the planning stages. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Allison B. Bawden, ballistic missile nuclear warhead, ballistic missiles, GAO, GAO report, life extension program, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, lithium production facility, modernization, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, non-nuclear components, Nuclear Posture Review, nuclear warhead, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons stockpile, secondary, thermonuclear weapons, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Government Accountability Office, U.S. Navy, UPF, uranium processing facility, W78, W78 nuclear warhead, W78 replacement, W78 replacement warhead, W78 warhead, W87, warhead replacement

(For members) NNSA modernizing weapons as U.S. nuclear stockpile shrinks

Posted at 3:44 pm December 2, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image from the Fiscal Year 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, which was released in October 2018.

Image from the Fiscal Year 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, which was released in October 2018.

 

Image from the Fiscal Year 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, which was released in October 2018.

The U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile continues to shrink and it’s gotten older, but the National Nuclear Security Administration, which has a site in Oak Ridge, has four modernization programs under way. That’s the busiest the NNSA has been since the Cold War era, Administrator Lisa Gordon-Hagerty said in a report to Congress in October.

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, which enriched uranium for the first atomic bomb used in wartime, has been involved in the work to modernize some weapons and dismantle others as the stockpile changes.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, includes more information about Y-12’s work on nuclear weapons and a series of nine questions and answers with Hans M. Kristensen, the director of the Nuclear Information Project at Federation of American Scientists. 

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Filed Under: Front Page News, National Nuclear Security Administration, Premium Content, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: B61-12 gravity bomb, B61-12 LEP, bombs, Cold War, cruise missile warhead, Federation of American Scientists, Fiscal Year 2019 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan—Biennial Plan Summary, Hans M. Kristensen, intercontinental ballistic missile warheads, life extension program, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons stockpile, submarine-launched ballistic missile warheads, U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, W76-1 LEP, W76-1 warhead, W80-4 warhead, W88 Alteration 370, weapon dismantlement, Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 approved for B61-12 weapons work

Posted at 11:14 am October 21, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on the B61-12 nuclear bomb.

 

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on the B61-12 nuclear bomb.

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge has been approved to produce a major component of a nuclear bomb known as the B61-12.

The approval was the final step to authorize the manufacturing and delivery of the first production unit of a component called the canned subassembly. It’s scheduled for March 2019, according to Y-12. A canned subassembly is the second stage of a modern thermonuclear weapon, and it is part of the nuclear explosives package.

The Y-12 work is part of the B61-12 Life Extension Program, which will consolidate four versions of the bomb into one. The bombs could be carried on B-2A bomber aircraft and F-15Es, several types of F-16s, and PA-200 fighters, and in the future, F-35s and B-21s.

The rest of this story, which you will find only on Oak Ridge Today, is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today. 

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Note: Most news stories on Oak Ridge Today are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our advertisers, sponsors, and subscribers. Some are considered premium content. This story is premium content. Premium content can include in-depth, investigative, and exclusive stories.

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Premium Content, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: B61, B61-12, B61-12 LEP, B61-12 Life Extension Program, Bill Tindal, Boeing Tail Kit Assembly, canned subassembly, DOE, GAO, Kansas City National Security Campus, LEP, life extension program, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, NATO, NNSA, NNSA Production Office, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nuclear bomb, nuclear explosives package, nuclear weapons, Pantex Plant, qualification evaluation release, Ronald G. Allen Jr., Sandia National Laboratories, Savannah River Site, secondary, Steven Wyatt, thermonuclear weapons, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Y-12 National Security Complex

Y-12 part of extending life of nation’s oldest nuclear weapons

Posted at 11:54 pm June 4, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

Image from U.S. Government Accountability Office report in May 2018 on B61-12 Nuclear Bomb.

 

The Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge is part of a program to extend the life of B61 bombs, the oldest nuclear weapons in the nation’s active stockpile, federal officials said.

The life extension program, or LEP, for the B61 bombs is the most complex and expensive since the U.S. Department of Energy began stockpile life extension activities in January 1996, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Critical components of the bombs are reaching the end of their operational lives, and the life extension program will result in a bomb known as B61-12. It will consolidate four versions of the bomb into one. The bombs could be carried on B-2A bomber aircraft and F-15E, F-16, F-35, and PA-200 fighters.

A GAO report described the role of six National Nuclear Security Administration sites and laboratories in the LEP. Besides Y-12, the NNSA sites are Kansas City National Security Campus in Missouri; Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico; Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas; Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina.

Y-12 is designated as the production site for the secondary. All weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile are two-stage nuclear weapons, or thermonuclear weapons. The first stage, known as the primary, is a fission device that is the initial source of nuclear energy, the GAO said. The secondary, which is the second stage, is a nuclear stage physically separate from the primary. Together, the primary and secondary are referred to as the weapon’s nuclear explosive package, the GAO said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, National Nuclear Security Administration, Slider, Y-12, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: .S. Department of Defense, Air Force, air-launched cruise missile, B61 bomb, B61-12, GAO, Kansas City National Security Campus, life extension program, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, nuclear ballistic missile submarines, nuclear weapon modernization, nuclear weapons, Pantex Plant, Sandia National Laboratories, Savannah River Site, stockpile life extension, submarine-launched ballistic missile, thermonuclear weapons, Trident II D5 missiles, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Government Accountability Office, U.S. nuclear stockpile, W76 warhead, W76-1 LEP, W76-1 Life Extension Program, W88 Alteration 370, Y-12 National Security Complex

NNSA achieves 50 percent production for W76-1 units

Posted at 11:06 pm October 29, 2014
By National Nuclear Security Administration Leave a Comment

Frank Klotz

Frank Klotz

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Nuclear Security Administration said last week that it had reached the halfway point in the production phase of the W76-1 warhead Life Extension Program, or LEP. An event held at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, underscored NNSA’s commitment to meeting the U.S. Navy’s requirements for the W76-1.

Gen. Frank G. Klotz, U.S. Department of Energy under secretary for nuclear security and NNSA administrator, was on hand to personally thank the men and women of Pantex who helped achieve the production milestone.

“The W76-1 Life Extension Program is one of several steps we must take as a nation to ensure that America’s smaller nuclear arsenal remains safe, secure, and effective,” Klotz said. “The highly skilled Pantex team will continue to play an indispensable role in protecting the security of the United States, as well as our allies and partners, for many years to come. For that reason, it’s imperative that we continue to invest in the people and in the infrastructure needed to carry out that important, enduring task.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: National Nuclear Security Administration, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy, Y-12 National Security Complex Tagged With: Frank G. Klotz, LEP, life extension program, Los Alamos National Laboratory, National Nuclear Security Administration, national security, National Security Campus, Navy, NNSA, nuclear security, nuclear stockpile, Office of Defense Programs, Pantex Plant, Sandia National Laboratory, Savannah River Site, Strategic Systems Programs, Terry Benedict, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Navy, W76-1, W76-1 Life Extension Program, Y-12 National Security Complex

NNSA: 2013 a year of important accomplishments, improvements

Posted at 11:06 pm January 7, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON, D.C.—As 2014 begins, the National Nuclear Security Administration has released a list of some of its most important accomplishments and improvements during the past year. NNSA reached significant milestones in the areas of nonproliferation and counterterrorism, made a host of significant achievements through its work with the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile, and saw improved operations throughout the complex.

“In 2013, even with a challenging budget situation, NNSA’s successes ensured that the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile is safe, secure and effective; saved taxpayers millions of dollars; and supported emergency preparedness and the next generation of nuclear security workers,” said NNSA Acting Administrator Bruce Held. “Our people, both our government employees and the employees in our government-owned labs and plants, have done great work executing our mission and improving the way we do business.”

NNSA’s 2013 list highlights accomplishments in operations and at its sites, international partnerships to support nonproliferation and removals of dangerous materials, and emergency preparedness trainings and university programs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: 2013, B61, Bruce Held, Climate Action Plan, counterterrorism, emergency training, Global Threat Reduction Initiative, GTRI, HEU, highly enriched uranium, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, LEU, life extension program, Los Alamos National Laboratory, low enriched uranium, Megatons to Megawatts Program, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, nonproliferation, nuclear bomb, nuclear warheads, nuclear weapons, Pantex Plant, R&D 100 Awards, R&D Magazine, Sandia National Laboratories, U.S.-Russia HEU Purchase Agreement, Y-12 National Security Complex

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