The United States possesses a "nuclear nightmare" bomb.

Defense industry news on March 27: The United States is possessing a 'nuclear nightmare'. That is the B61-12 guided bomb with integrated nuclear warheads of many types.

The United States promotes the “nuclear nightmare”; information about the price of the 6th generation fighter F-47 is leaked, these are the contents of today's defense industry news on March 27.

US promotes “nuclear nightmare”

The B61-12 thermonuclear bomb, which remains the main weapon of the US strategic nuclear force, can carry out tactical and strategic missions thanks to the ability to adjust the destructive power by changing the warhead. The characteristics of the US “nuclear nightmare” were named in an article by The National Interest (TNI).

The B61-12 bomb is in mass production. According to the author, this bomb is one of the most versatile bombs in the world because its destructive power can be changed.

"The B61-12 is actually 4 bombs in 1. The power of nuclear weapons can be increased to 4 different values," the TNI publication wrote.

B61-12 nuclear bomb. Photo: Defense News

Technically, the B61-12 bomb weighs 350kg, carries a 50 kiloton nuclear warhead, is equipped with a GPS guidance system and laser beam tracking in the nose. The B61-12 bomb is designed to be dropped from fighter aircraft such as the F-15, F-16, F-35. After leaving the aircraft, the B61-12 uses its tail fin and rotating jet engine to adjust its flight direction, and can fall on targets within a range of 30m.

In terms of sheer destructive power, the B61-12 is not considered the most dangerous nuclear weapon in the US arsenal. The bomb has a maximum yield of only 50 kilotons, equivalent to 50,000 tons of TNT. In comparison, the B83 nuclear bomb has a maximum yield of 1,200 kilotons, which can completely destroy a city. However, what makes the B61-12 the most dangerous nuclear weapon in the US arsenal is its usability. This usability comes from a combination of its accuracy and low yield.

The B61-12 has a maximum yield of 50 kilotons, but this can be reduced as needed to meet any specific mission. The combination of accuracy and low yield makes the B61-12 nuclear bomb what experts say will be the most numerous in the US arsenal.

In early March 2025, TNI reported that the new B-21 Raider strategic bomber, developed for the US Air Force, has a longer range than the B-2 Spirit and is compatible with the new B61-12 bomb.

Information about the price of the 6th generation fighter F-47 leaked

According to the news site 19FortyFive, no one wants to mention the cost issue of the promising sixth-generation fighter F-47 at the present time.

As noted by commentator Caleb Larson, initial estimates of the cost of an F-47 are around $300 million, nearly three times the cost of the fifth-generation F-35 fighter. “To reduce costs, the United States could consider exporting a slightly more stripped-down version to trusted allies,” the 19FortyFive author suggests.

F-47 6th generation fighter. Photo: Topwar

Mr. Larson cited estimates by US Air Force General David Ellwin that the F-47 will be cheaper than the world's first fifth-generation fighter, the F-22, which costs between $140 million and $350 million, depending on configuration and maintenance.

Previously, The Aviationist magazine reported that US President Donald Trump announced that the winning bidder for the contract to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft under the NGAD program for the US Air Force was the US aerospace company Boeing, the unit developing the F-47 aircraft.

British Navy finalizes plan to equip laser weapons on ships

The Royal Navy intends to equip four warships with the DragonFire directed energy weapon system by 2027. Navy Recognition magazine reported that this decision will accelerate the previously approved program when the laser weapon was only planned for one warship.

The announcement comes after a £2.2bn increase in the defence budget, which will see defence spending rise to 2.36% of GDP by 2025, with a target of 2.5% by 2027, the publication noted.

DragonFire is being developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory together with industry partners – the British division of Italian engineering company Leonardo and international missile systems manufacturer MBDA. British defence company QinetiQ is also involved in the project.

DragonFire laser weapon system. Photo: Defense Talk

The DragonFire prototype was first demonstrated in 2017. In July 2022, precision testing of the guidance system against air and sea targets was conducted in the Hebrides.

The working prototype has a power output of 50kW and has proven that this is enough to effectively counter threats such as drones and high-speed trains. The total investment in the project is around £100m.

The DragonFire program is seen as a pilot project for the UK Government's new integrated procurement model, which is designed to accelerate the re-equipment of the UK's armed forces. According to Naval News, the laser weapon is likely to be deployed first on the Type-45 destroyer.

Laser weapons are seen as a cost-effective alternative to short-range anti-aircraft missiles, which typically cost more than small drones capable of threatening ships. Each DragonFire shot costs just tens of pounds, compared to hundreds of thousands or even millions of pounds for guided missiles or anti-aircraft missiles.

In the long term, the British military hopes to have a laser system with a power of over 100 kW, which is expected to be effective against ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/hoa-ky-so-huu-loai-bom-con-ac-mong-hat-nhan-380247.html