Sandia National Laboratories B61-12 Nuclear Gravity Bomb Initial Operational Test and Evaluation 2023

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and the USAF announced the completion of two qualification flight tests of the B61-12 gravity bomb at the Tonopah Test Range in NV. Completed 7-8 Nov 2017, the tests continue a series of qualification flight tests that will be conducted over the next three years.
The tests continue to demonstrate that the B61-12 meets requirements and marks another on-time achievement for the B61-12 Life Extension Program.
The tests involved releasing non-nuclear configured joint test assemblies from two F-15Es based at Nellis Air Force Base, demonstrating the aircraft’s capability to deliver the weapon and the weapon’s non-nuclear functions. The flight test included hardware designed by Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory and manufactured by the Nuclear Security Enterprise plants. The tail-kit assembly section was designed by the Boeing Company under contract with the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.
The B61-12 Life Extension Program (LEP) entered Phase 6.4 Production Engineering in June 2016 under the oversight of the Nuclear Weapons Council, a joint Department of Defense and DOE/NNSA organization established to facilitate cooperation and coordination between the two departments.