The United States Remains Poised with the Apocalypse’s Weaponry

September 2022, Russian forces find themselves in a difficult situation on the Ukrainian front. On the 21st of the same month, Vladimir Putin explained on Russian television that he was ready to use all the means in his arsenal against a West that wanted to destroy Russia. A speech punctuated by a threatening “And it’s not a bluff!” », implying that he has the capacity to use nuclear weapons. Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and the stagnation of the conflict, Moscow has regularly sought to make Western populations tremble by waving the rag of the nuclear threat. The objective: to turn them against their leaders to force them to stop their military aid to Ukraine. Even if the powers allied to Ukraine with nuclear weapons, such as France, the United Kingdom and especially the United States, never seem to be moved by these threats, postures in terms of deterrence are strengthening.

France modernized and tested its M51 nuclear missile and the United States did the same with its so-called tactical B6-13 aerial bomb last year. Above all, a little less than a month after the invasion, the United States increased the number of its nuclear warheads hosted by its NATO allies, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Turkey. At the level of words, in the face of Russian attempts at intimidation, there was only an official message from Washington to try to avoid an escalation on the part of Moscow.

Conventional weapons in the face of the Russian threat

The American presidency therefore warned Russia that if these weapons were used, Russian command centers would be destroyed with conventional weapons. It must be said that this threat remains concrete, since Moscow has deployed so-called tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. If Russia has just revised its doctrine for the use of nuclear power, as Science & Vie mentioned in the previous episode of this series on the nuclear threat, that of Washington has also just been published. While the guidelines are classified, the posture remains roughly constant. The forces to be deterred, however, have clearly evolved since the last opus of this doctrine.

On the disarmament side, Russia suspended its participation in the New Start treaty in March 2023. There are therefore no more publications and visits to nuclear arsenals between these signatories. With its repeated threats and the absence of regulation, for the United States, Russia is in fact taking over the posture of the USSR during the Cold War. A new tension is also arriving on the side of China with a nuclear arsenal which is developing very quickly. The country already has 500 nuclear weapons and intends to obtain a volume enabling it to terrify any adversary.

And then, Russia's new ally, North Korea, is also investing considerably in its nuclear weapons. Her attitude is more aggressive, since she believes she can use them preventatively in the event of a threat. Russia, China and North Korea are therefore the three threats that the United States must be able to face alone.

The American “nuclear triad”

Russia and the United States between them have 90% of the world's nuclear warheads. While the New Start treaty made it possible to limit the arsenals of the two powers to 1,550 strategic warheads and 800 launchers, there is now no longer any brake. Countries with weapons are modernizing their warheads and nuclear rearmament promises to be rapid. In the meantime, during the latest counts, faced with a Russia which would have 1600 usable warheads, in total, the United States would have deployed 1419 out of a total of 662 missiles.

American deterrence is based on what it calls the nuclear triad. Missiles can be fired from the ground, from the sea or from the sky. Deterrence is operational 24/7, every day. These three pillars are considered inseparable and can strike at any time in any place, given the range of the missiles or devices that launch them.

Aerial nuclear power with flexibility

The advantage of the air vector is that it provides maximum flexibility. It is the last diplomatic cartridge as a warning before a first strike. It is possible to recall the bombers at the last moment. The American air fleet is substantial. It has 46 B-52H Stratofortresses and around twenty B-2A Spirit stealth bombers.

Born in 1952 and regularly upgraded, the venerable B-52H Stratofortress is still far from its planned retirement after 2040. It still carries nuclear bombs. Its range is at least 14,080 km and its only limitation is that of the endurance of its crew. This summer, the United States showed its muscles by deploying two of these B-52Hs in Europe. A demonstration towards Russia, but also a way of reassuring the European NATO countries in the face of this Russian threat.

photo credit: © USAFThe B-52H with its nacelle capable of carrying nuclear-capable missiles.© USAF

The USAF “bomb truck” can carry 32 tons of munitions. Under its wings it can carry up to 12 AGM-86Bs, a subsonic cruise missile with a range of 2,400 km. It was developed to increase the survivability of the B-52H by allowing them to fire it at long ranges. Strategic or tactical, it can carry a single W80 thermonuclear warhead, with a power of 5 or 150 kT. It is a variant of the B61-7 nuclear bomb. It is essentially intended to destroy so-called tactical, therefore military, targets. The B61-7, which can also be carried by the B-52H, is a so-called gravity nuclear weapon. This means that it is simply dropped above its target and has no propellant.

But to guarantee the survival of the bomber it is better to opt for the B-2A Spirit. With its stealth, this modern aircraft makes it possible to penetrate enemy territory to drop precisely this type of gravity bomb. Its range without refueling is approximately 9,600 kilometers. Its crew is made up of two people, compared to five for the B-52H. The aircraft should be gradually replaced in the coming years by the B-21 Raider which made its first flight a year ago. The latter will then be equipped with the latest generation of B61-13 gravity bomb which has been successfully tested by the USAF. A much more powerful bomb, which peaks at 360 kT (25 times the atomic bomb which was used in Hiroshima in 1945). The current B61-12 version is considered “simply” tactical with its 50 kT. According to the Ministry of Defense, this thirteenth iteration will not increase the current nuclear arsenal. It will replace the oldest models.

photo credit: © US DoDMore powerful, the B61-13 is the future gravity nuclear bomb that the B-21 Raider will carry.© US DoD

B61s on European territory

As members of NATO, several European states (Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey) host around a hundred B61 bombs. Under the control of the United States, they can potentially be carried by combat aircraft from NATO member countries. These so-called tactical bombs are found in six bases located in these countries.

The United States considers that the most resistant branch of its nuclear triad remains its submarines. There are 14 of the Ohio class underwater. Stealthy, because they are nuclear powered, they are practically undetectable and can remain submerged for around 77 days. Each submarine has two crews, Blue and Gold, who alternate between managing the submarines and patrolling. They are truly designed to launch nuclear missiles.

Each of these submarines carries up to 20 ballistic missiles. And these missiles are mired, that is to say they can carry up to eight nuclear warheads for as many different targets. These missiles are Trident II D5 and each warhead can contain a power of 475 kT (W88) or 100 kT (W76). A single head is also available. The use of these missiles is considered a first-strike shot. The “best” is for last….

photo credit: © US Navy

Exploded view of an Ohio-class nuclear submarine. It can fire 20 nuclear missiles.© US Navy

Finger on the trigger of 400 missiles in silos!

On permanent alert since 1959, the United States' apocalyptic weapon remains the LGM-30G Minuteman III. This is called an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). 400 of these machines are maintained by 10,000 people in silos spread across five states. The silos are connected to an underground launch control center by a reinforced cable system. Each crew flying a missile is made up of two officers. These operators can be contacted at any time by the President and the Secretary of Defense. If the connection between the control center and the silo is lost, planes take over from this center. Their crews would then carry out the president's orders.
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Report on the test firing of a Minuteman III.© 8th USAF /J-GSOC

Gigantic, the Minuteman III missiles are made up of three stages. They weigh 36 tonnes, 1.67 meters in diameter and 18.2 meters high. Their range is approximately 13,000 km with an altitude ceiling of 1,120 km and a speed of approximately 24,000 km/h. Since the START treaty, there is only one warhead per missile. It is assumed to be a Mark 21 with a power of 300 to 475 kT. These missiles should be replaced by a new generation called LGM-35A Sentinel which is currently under development. The silos will also be modernized by 2029.

With regulations now moribund and countries equipped with weapons of the apocalypse like these ICBMs whose “geopolitical mood” fluctuates enormously recently, a catastrophe is no longer impossible.