The U.S. will remove from service the most powerful (1.2 megatons) thermonuclear bomb B83-1 - it is 80 times more powerful than the Little Boy bomb, which was dropped on Hiroshima

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to decommission the most powerful thermonuclear bomb, the B83-1.

Here's What We Know

The bomb will be decommissioned as part of the United States' updated National Defense Strategy. The reasons were limited capability in modern warfare, obsolescence and expensive maintenance. The Pentagon plans to create new means to destroy targets at great depths.

The B83-1 is a variable-power gravity projectile that was developed in the late 1970s at Livermore National Laboratory. The thermonuclear bomb entered service in 1983. It has a mass of 1,100 kilograms and a maximum yield of 1.2 megatons, about 80 times the power of the Little Boy atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in the summer of 1945.

The United States planned to remove the B83-1 from service six years ago. In fact, it happened two years ago. The B-52H Stratofortress bomber was the last to lose the bomb in 2020. Beside it, the B83-1 carriers were B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit strategic bombers, as well as F-15 Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon and F/A-18A Hornet fighters. By the way, the bomb has a parachute-braking system that will allow the plane to get away before detonation.

Source: Pentagon