States are updating their nuclear arsenal, in particular, creating new weapons, and for this they need new plutonium cores.
The first production batch of plutonium cores for the upgraded W87 nuclear warheads, equipped with the advanced LGM-35 Sentinel silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), was produced in the USA. This is confirmed by data from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).
The plutonium core is the central part of a nuclear charge, which serves as the fuel for its activation. As part of the program for the production of new W87-1 warheads, up to 30 units of plutonium cores are planned to be produced annually at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and up to 50 units. at the Savannah River Nuclear Production Complex in South Carolina in the mid-2030s.
W87 is an American thermonuclear charge with a capacity of 300 kilotons, created for the former heavy ICBM Peacekeeper (Peacemaker). Since 2005, after the decommissioning of these missiles, 250 W87 warheads have been installed on the LGM-30G Minuteman-III ICBM and another 250 are stored in reserve.
The US has had almost no plutonium cores since the late 1980s. However, today the US is updating its nuclear arsenal, modernizing old weapons and creating new ones, and it needs new plutonium cores.
The publication notes that not all experts consider this work necessary, because existing cores can still work for some time. The physics of plutonium is complex, and no one knows when the main plutonium core will expire, the article notes. The details of how the rods are built and how they work are among the most closely guarded secrets in the United States.
The Sentinel ICBM is an American program to create a new intercontinental ballistic missile to replace the obsolete LGM-30G Minuteman III, which has been in service since the early 1970s.
According to the Pentagon, the new ICBMs should begin to be delivered to the US strategic nuclear forces in the early 2030s.
Earlier, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ryabkov, said that Russia will change its nuclear doctrine based on an analysis of conflicts in recent years and the so-called “escalation course” of the West in relation to the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.
The Kremlin transferred the right to use nuclear weapons to the military
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.