Germany sent two Tornados to the USA to take part in a military exercise. A fighter jet was spotted carrying a training nuclear bomb.
Edwards Air Force Base – Since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, many countries have rearmed. Nuclear weapons also play a role in Ukraine War a role, as the Kremlin does not shy away from threatening to use these weapons. NATO is considering further stationing of nuclear weapons in Europe as a deterrent. In the USA, Tornado fighter planes have meanwhile been training with nuclear bombs.
German Tornado fighter jet spotted during nuclear bomb exercise in the USA
An image shared on Platform X, taken on August 27 at Edwards Air Force Base in California, shows a Tornado with a B61-12 nuclear bomb trainer hanging under the belly of the fighter jet. Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, shared this information on the platform. The Tornado is known to be capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional weapons.
Sören Schmelz, spokesman for the German Armed Forces-Procurement Office, confirmed to Newsweek via email that two German Tornado aircraft are currently stationed in the United States to participate in the Silent Companion 24 campaign, which was recently completed. Schmelz added: “Both aircraft are currently undergoing regular inspection and will return home between September 11 and 13.”
Nuclear sharing in NATO: US nuclear bombs stationed in Germany
Germany, along with Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey, is part of the nuclear sharing and thus included in NATO’s deterrence strategy. NATO announced in February 2022 that the US has stationed a “limited number” of B-61 nuclear weapons at certain European locations. Newsweek reported that some of them are to be stationed at the Büchel air base in Rhineland-Palatinate. At the beginning of the year there were discussions about stationing US nuclear weapons in Great Britain.
Latest generation of B61 nuclear bombs for Germany
The B61-12, the latest version of the B61 family of nuclear bombs, has, according to Newsweek four adjustable explosive power levels of up to 50 kilotons of TNT. For comparison: the US atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in 1945 had an explosive power of 15 and 25 kilotons. The B61-12 is expected to have a service life of at least two decades and will replace all US nuclear weapons stationed in Europe in the coming years.
The bomb is equipped with a guided tail that increases precision and can be set to hit existing targets at lower power to minimize collateral damage. The Tornado’s successor, the F-35 fighter jet, has already been added to the list of aircraft approved
for the B61-12. (vk)
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