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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 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

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Classifieds

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...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

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

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