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Y-12 finishes first production unit for B61-12 bomb

Posted at 5:43 pm January 21, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Employees at Y-12 National Security Complex recently completed the first production unit of the B61-12. This refurbishment will extend the life of this strategic weapon for 20 years. (Submitted photo)

Employees at Y-12 National Security Complex recently completed the first production unit of the B61-12. This refurbishment will extend the life of this strategic weapon for 20 years. (Submitted photo)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 9:45 a.m. Jan. 22.

Canned subassembly certified four months ahead of schedule

The Y-12 National Security Complex on Monday said it has completed a major milestone in efforts to refurbish components for a strategic nuclear weapons system that is vital to the U.S. nuclear deterrent.

The first production unit for a bomb called the B61-12 was certified at Y-12 on December 6, 2018.

The work is part of the B61 Life Extension Program, or LEP. The B61 is a nuclear bomb that can be carried on several types of military aircraft. The B61 LEP will extend the life of this strategic weapon for 20 years, said Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, which manages and operates Y-12 for the National Nuclear Security Administration.

B61 bombs are the oldest nuclear weapons in the nation’s active stockpile. They have been in service almost 50 years, and critical components of the bombs are reaching the end of their operational lives. The B61 was first “fielded” in 1968, and current modifications were fielded between 1979 and 1991, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. [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: B61, B61 LEP, B61 Life Extension Program, B61-12, B61-12 LEP, B61-12 Life Extension Program, Bill Tindal, Boeing Tail Kit Assembly, canned subassembly, CNS, Consolidated Nuclear Security LLC, LEP, Lisa Gordon-Hagerty, National Nuclear Security Administration, NNSA, NNSA Production Office, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, nuclear weapons, Pantex Plant, secondary, thermonuclear weapons, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Government Accountability Office, U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, weapon stockpile, Y-12 National Security Complex

(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.

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. 

The rest of the story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or recent contributor to Oak Ridge Today. 

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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

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Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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