US successfully tests B61-12 nuclear bomb without warhead
Photo: B61-12 thermonuclear air-dropped bomb (video screenshot)
In August 2025, the United States successfully tested a B61-12 tactical thermonuclear gravity bomb without its nuclear warhead, according to the website of Sandia National Laboratories under the US Department of Energy.
The statement says the tests were conducted at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada between 19 and 21 August.
During the trials, F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets delivered and released the bombs, which contained inert (non-nuclear) payloads.
"Sandia, in conjunction with NNSA, conducted a series of successful stockpile flight tests at Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, with support and aircraft generation from Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The tests, conducted Aug. 19-21, yielded positive results as inert units of the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb were successfully carried and dropped by an F-35 aircraft, marking a significant milestone in evaluating the weapon’s performance," the laboratory said.
They added that at the end of 2024, the NNSA completed a multi-year life-extension program for the B61-12, extending the bomb’s service life by at least 20 years.
"The August tests were the only B61-12 stockpile flight tests of joint test assemblies on an F-35 aircraft, solidifying the end-to-end reliability of the aircraft, crews, and weapon system during missions," Sandia National Laboratories noted.
The B61-12 is a modernized, low-yield tactical nuclear bomb equipped with a precision-guidance system. It is designed to be compatible with multiple delivery platforms, including the F-35A Lightning II fighter jet.
This summer, media outlets reported that the United States had deployed nuclear weapons, several B61-12 thermonuclear warheads, to the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008, placing them in a new hardened storage facility at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Defense officials in both the US and the UK declined to comment.
Nuclear testing
As a reminder, in October, US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the Pentagon to begin nuclear weapons testing "in response to test programs conducted by other countries."
Earlier today, on the night of 15 November, he said the tests would take place "pretty soon." When asked whether the tests would include a detonation of a nuclear warhead, Trump did not provide an answer.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that Trump administration officials responsible for energy and nuclear security plan to meet with White House representatives in the coming days in an effort to persuade the president not to proceed with nuclear testing.
