For the first time since 2008, US nuclear weapons have been deployed to the UK. Several B61-12 nuclear bombs were reportedly delivered to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk this week.
US B61-12 thermonuclear bomb discovered at Lakenheath air base, UK. Photo: Osin Defender
The weapons were airlifted from the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to a newly built secure storage facility at the site in England, the sources added.
The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed the move, and the Defense Department does not typically comment on the presence or absence of nuclear weapons at specific locations.
The B61-12 is a modernized, low-yield, precision-guided, variable-yield tactical nuclear bomb. It is designed to be compatible with a variety of bombers, including the F-35A Lightning II.
48 Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath operates both 493 and 495 Fighter Squadrons, which operate the F-35A and are among the first in Europe to use the bomb.
RAF Lakenheath previously housed US nuclear weapons during the Cold War, but was last deployed in 2008, following years of disarmament-related cuts across Europe.
The redeployment of these weapons is expected to represent a significant change in NATO's nuclear posture in the European theater amid deteriorating relations with Russia and the strengthening of nuclear deterrence.
Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/my-tai-trien-khai-vu-khi-hat-nhan-den-anh-sau-gan-20-nam-post1556233.html
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