NNSA Completes Critical B61-13 Bomb Components Ahead of Schedule

Early completion underscores capacity to deliver on the Trump Administration’s national security mission with urgency

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) announced today that it had completed “diamond stamping” of all canned subassemblies (CSA) for the B61-13 nuclear gravity bomb planned for the current Fiscal Year three months ahead of schedule at the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The B61-13 will be certified for delivery by U.S. strategic bomber aircraft. Development of the bomb is part of a broader strategy between NNSA and the Department of War to develop new technical solutions for the defeat of hard and deeply buried targets.

“The progress on the B61-13 program demonstrates the Nuclear Security Enterprise’s ability to respond to evolving geopolitical requirements with speed and precision,” said NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams. “Completing the 2026 baseline deliverables ahead of schedule is a clear indicator of discipline and operational focus. This milestone directly supports our goals to modernize our nuclear deterrent and sends a message to our adversaries that our national defense remains agile, secure, and effective.”

The B61-13 is a modern variant of the B61 nuclear bomb, the longest-serving and most versatile weapon in America’s nuclear stockpile. NNSA completed the first unit of the new B61-13 in May 2025 almost a year before the original target date and less than two years after the program was announced, making the bomb one of the most rapidly produced nuclear weapons since the end of the Cold War.

In a modern two-stage thermonuclear weapon, the CSA component consists of the “secondary” stage capsule and other parts sealed (canned) within a thin metal container made of stainless steel or aluminum alloy. The CSA together with the “primary,” is part of the warhead’s nuclear explosive package. “Diamond stamping” signifies that a weapon component has met all the requirements of NNSA’s rigorous certification process and is approved for deployment to the U.S. nuclear stockpile as “war reserve” quality.

The B61-13 gravity bomb incorporates the same modern safety, security, and accuracy features as the earlier B61-12, whose life extension program NNSA completed in January 2025. The newer variant features a higher nuclear yield, oriented to defeat certain harder and large-area military targets, providing additional flexibility to the President’s nuclear response options.

The B61-13 is one of six ongoing warhead modernization programs that NNSA is executing to ensure the long-term reliability and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile. All of NNSA’s warhead modernization programs are ahead of schedule, continuing the agency’s record of 100% on-time or ahead-of-time delivery to the Department of War in this decade.