Oak Ridge Today

Y-12 finishes W69 warhead dismantlement work

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Short-Range-Attack-Missile-B-1B-Bomber-1987

Members of the 96th Munitions Maintenance Squadron use a weapons loader to move an inert AGM-69A Short Range Attack Missile, or SRAM, from underneath a B-1B bomber aircraft in 1987. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

Dismantlement of W69 canned subassemblies has been completed at the Y-12 National Security Complex, officials said Friday.

The W69 was the warhead for the short-range attack missile, or SRAM, and it was retired from the U.S. nuclear stockpile in 1992. The last W69 weapon was dismantled in 1999. The Y-12 site originally assembled the W69 canned subassemblies, or CSAs, in the 1970s and began disassembly in 2012.

“These weapons components have come full circle, considering Y-12 has been responsible for the assembly and disassembly of every secondary in the nation’s nuclear stockpile,” manager of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office Geoff Beausoleil said, “With this successful dismantlement, we now can turn our focus to other systems to further modernize the stockpile.”

“The employees of Consolidated Nuclear Security are proud to have an integral role in accomplishing the NNSA’s nuclear weapon mission,” Consolidated Nuclear Security President and CEO Morgan Smith said. “The work done at Y-12 on the W69 is yet another example of the important role we play in supporting our nation and making the world a safer place.” [Read more…]

NNSA awards National Security Campus contract in KC to Honeywell FM&T

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National Security Campus in Kansas City

The NNSA National Security Campus in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo courtesy NNSA)

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Nuclear Security Administration on Friday announced the award to Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technologies LLC to be the management and operating contractor for the National Security Campus, or NSC, in Kansas City, Missouri.

“Our non-nuclear production capabilities are critical to our national security, and Honeywell FM&T represents the best value to the government,” NNSA Administrator Frank Klotz said.  “Honeywell has demonstrated excellent performance in advancing NNSA’s enduring mission at NSC, and this award creates workforce stability for another decade.”

The NSC is one of several production plants that are critical to the NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program. The National Security Campus is responsible for manufacturing and procuring nonnuclear components for nuclear weapons, including electronic, mechanical, and engineered material components. It supports national laboratories, universities, and U.S. industry.

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NNSA achieves 50 percent production for W76-1 units

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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…]