B61: Тактическое ядерное оружие НАТО и его модернизации.

The B61 is of the variable yield ("dial a yield" in informal military jargon) design with a yield of 0.3 to 340 kilotons in its various mods ("modifications"). It is a Full Fuzing Option (FUFO) weapon, meaning it is equipped with the full range of fuzing and delivery options, including air and ground burst fuzing, and free fall, retarded free fall and laydown delivery. It has a streamlined casing capable of withstanding supersonic flight and is 3.35 m long, with a diameter of about The basic weight of the B 61 is about , although the weights of individual weapons may vary depending on version and fuze/retardation configuration. As of 2020, the weapon was undergoing a 12th modification. According to the Federation of American Scientists in 2012, the roughly 400 B61 12s will each cost "more than its weight in gold" $28 million apiece. 13 versions of the B61 have been designed, known as Mod 0 through Mod 12. Of these, nine have entered production. Each shares the same physics package, with different yield options. The newest variant is the Mod 11, deployed in 1997, which is a ground penetrating bunker busting weapon. The Russian Continuity of Government facility at Kosvinsky Kamen, finished in early 1996, was designed to resist US earth penetrating warheads and serves a similar role as the American Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The timing of the Kosvinsky completion date is regarded as one explanation for U. S. interest in a new nuclear bunker buster and the declaration of the deployment of the Mod 11 in 1997: Kosvinsky is protected by about 1,000 feet (305 m) of granite. The B61 unguided bomb should not be confused with the MGM 1 Matador cruise missile, which was originally developed under the bomber designation B 61.

The B61 has been deployed by a variety of US military aircraft. US aircraft cleared for its use have included the B 1 Lancer, B 2 Spirit, B 52 Stratofortress, F/A 18 Hornet, A 6 Intruder, A 4 Skyhawk, F 111, F 15E Strike Eagle and F 16 Fighting Falcon and the F 35A. As part of NATO Nuclear Weapons Sharing, German and Italian Panavia Tornado aircraft can also carry B61s. B61 tactical variants are deployed with NATO allies in Europe as part of the NATO Nuclear Weapons Sharing Program. About 150 bombs are stored at six bases: Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel Air Base in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi Air Base in Italy, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands and Incirlik in Turkey. In 2012, NATO agreed to improve the capabilities of this force with the increased accuracy of the Mod 12 upgrade and the delivery of the F 35 aircraft. This added a modest standoff capability to the B61. The F 35A was certified to carry the B61 12 in October 2023, marking the first time a fifth generation fighter has been nuclear capable, and the first new platform in the NATO inventory to achieve such status since the early 1990s.

A 1978 report on reducing or substituting beryllium in nuclear weapons noted that the B61 5 contained beryllium and that if the use of beryllium were to be restricted, the B61 5 could probably be replaced by the B61 Mod 3. and cancelled at the end of the Cold War. In 2013, the Pentagon and NNSA stated that if B61 refurbishment did not begin by 2019, components in the existing weapons could begin to fail. In 2013 Tom Collina of the Arms Control Association said that the new development could complicate arms control efforts with Russia. In 2014, Congress slashed funding for the project and called for alternates to be studied. In January 2014, former Air Force Chief of Staff Norton A. Schwartz stated that the Mod 12 nuclear bomb upgrade would have enhanced accuracy and a lower yield with less fallout compared to previous versions of the weapon. Accuracy has not been a guarantee for air dropped nuclear weapons, so consequently large warheads were needed to effectively impact a target; the Mod 11 nuclear earth penetrator is accurate to 110–170 meters from the desired detonation location, so it requires a 400 kiloton warhead. The Mod 12 is accurate to 30 meters from a target and only requires a 50 kiloton warhead. Schwartz believes that greater accuracy would both improve the weapon and create a different target set it can be useful against. An example is the higher yield Mod 11's role of attacking underground bunkers that need a ground burst to create a crater and destroy it through the shockwave. A 50 kiloton yield detonating on the ground produces a crater with a radius of 30–68 meters, depending on the density of the surface, effectively putting the bunker within the circular error probability. In 2014 critics said that a more accurate and less destructive nuclear weapon would make leaders less cautious about deploying it, while Schwartz said it would deter adversaries more because the U. S. would be more willing to use it in situations where necessary. The improved accuracy would make it more effective than the previous Mod 3/4 currently deployed to the continent. F 16 and Panavia Tornado aircraft cannot interface with the new bomb due to electronic differences, but NATO countries buying the F 35 would be able to utilize it. Despite claims the Mod 12 has an earth penetrating capability, the weapon does not have the reinforced structure like that of the Mod 11, which is required to function as an earth penetrating weapon. The Mod 11 will be retained in service for the ground penetrating mission. The Mod 12 Life Extension Program continued in 2018 and on 29 June 2018 two successful non nuclear system qualification flight tests at Tonopah Test Range were reported. In October 2018, the Mod 12 guided tail kit assembly received Milestone C approval to enter the production phase; the TKA went through the traditional test program in under 11 months, achieving a 100% success rate for all 31 bomb drops. The B61 12 nuclear bomb completed its successful flight tests with the US Air Force's F 15E in June 2020. It was dropped from above 25,000ft and was in the air for approximately 55 seconds before hitting the target. The first B61 12 bomb was produced in November 2021. The weapon replaces the B61 mod 3, mod 4 and mod 7 bombs while the B61 11 will be retained in the stockpile. It is expected that the LEP will extend the B61's life by at least 20 years. This drew criticism from the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko, who accused the US government of "reducing the nuclear threshold" with the weapon's increased accuracy.

Initially, the NNSA Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan anticipated Phase 1 development for the B61 Mod 13 Life Extension Program (LEP) beginning in 2037 with first production of the weapon in 2050, This discards plans for the Mod 13 to be a future Mod 12 LEP. It is planned that for each B61 13 produced, one fewer B61 12 is to be produced, therefore not increasing the planned number of new B61 bombs; defense officials indicated only "a few dozen" B61 13s may be produced. The new bomb will be carried by the B 21 Raider, but it is not planned to be deployed on the F 35. The Federation of American Scientists have accused the weapon of being a "political bomb", introduced to finally retire the B83 1 nuclear bomb, whose retirement has been blocked by hardliners. In the Advanced Cruise Missile role, the weapon was to replace aging B53 bombs, but after the W61 cancellation the role was filled by the B61 11 bomb.

In May 2010 the National Nuclear Security Administration asked Congress for $40 million to redesign the bomb to enable the Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning II to carry the weapon internally by 2017. This version is designated Mod 12. The four hundred Mod 12 bombs will be used by both tactical aircraft (such as the F 35) and strategic aircraft (such as the B 2) and the Tail Subassembly (TSA) will give them Joint Direct Attack Munition levels of accuracy, allowing the fifty kiloton warhead to have strategic effects from all carrying aircraft. However, refitting the 400 weapons is now expected to cost over $10 billion. The Mod 12 tail assembly contract was awarded to Boeing on November 27, 2012 for $178 million. Boeing will use their experience with the Joint Direct Attack Munition to yield JDAM equivalent accuracy in a nuclear bomb. This contract is only the first part of the billion dollar expense of producing and applying the tail kits, over and above the $10 billion cost to refurbish the warheads. The Mod 12 uses an internal guidance system and can glide to its target. On 1 July 2015, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) conducted the first of three flight tests of the Mod 12 tail kit assembly. According to the Federation of American Scientists in 2012, the roughly 400 B61 12s will cost $28 million apiece.