National Nuclear Safety Administration (NUYAB) US intends to resume W78 thermonuclear warhead upgrade program, According to RT.
According to the US Audit Office, for the implementation of the program from 2019 to 2041 year will be needed from $10 billion. to $15 billion.
W78 fusion warhead is one of two warheads, which are equipped with the US Air Force Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The military department has already begun to upgrade these warheads, however, 2014 the year the program was curtailed, including due to financial constraints.
The Pentagon is more determined this year, stated, that resuscitation of the program is necessary to ensure the safety of the entire US nuclear arsenal.
The report of the Accounts Chamber notes, that the Pentagon and the NSAF should conduct similar programs “to upgrade or replace components of nuclear weapons in order to extend the life of these weapons and ensure the security of the nuclear arsenal”.
At the same time, they said in the NNS, that not only warheads need modernization, but equipment, involved in these works.
As explained by Russian military expert Viktor Murakhovsky, the need to extend the life of warheads arises from the natural degradation of nuclear charges.
Currently, the US industrial base is not in the best condition., therefore, the bulk of the costs will not concern the production of warheads themselves, and production base updates, he added.
The newspaper reminds, that the Pentagon is also considering using the W78 explosive component on submarine missiles.
