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| Science & Technology |
| Inert U.S. B61-12 nuke bomb dusted off and tested, passes tests |
| 2017-04-15 |
| [Bloomberg] Albuquerque, N.M. (AP) -- Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories are claiming success with the first in a new series of test flights involving an upgraded version of a nuclear bomb that has been part of the U.S. arsenal for decades. Work on the B61-12 has been ongoing for years, and government officials say the latest tests using mock versions of the bomb will be vital to the refurbishing effort. An F-16 from Nellis Air Force Base dropped an inert version of the weapon over the Nevada desert last month to test its non-nuclear functions as well as the plane's ability to carry the bomb. With a mere puff of dust, the mock bomb landed in a dry lake bed at the Tonopah Test Range. "It's great to see things all come together: the weapon design, the test preparation, the aircraft, the range and the people who made it happen," Anna Schauer, director of Sandia's Stockpile Resource Center, said in a statement. Scientists are planning to spend months analyzing the data gathered from the test. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #4 Interesting 'spread' of locations in the story. Sandia at Albuquerque (hope they remembered to take the left turn) is bombing the Tonopah target range, i.e. the bomb range for Area 51 (Groom Lake). It's a shame they couldn't get Mountain Home involved for the trifecta. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2017-04-15 21:57 |
| #3 Doc and FiFi are ready for the next round of tests. |
| Posted by: Count Galeazzo Omomotle5829 2017-04-15 20:40 |
| #2 I hear horses aren't a problem at the Pyongyang nuclear testing range. They already ate them. |
| Posted by: gorb 2017-04-15 13:27 |
| #1 it took two passes before the pilot could drop the mock B61-12. A herd of wild horses had to be chased away on the first go-around. No drop site security teams? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-04-15 11:35 |