F-35A drops inert B61-12 nuclear bomb in first of new test series
Sandia National Laboratories has flight-tested a weapons drop of the B61-12 nuclear bomb from an F-35A aircraft.
Honeywell subsidiary Sandia National Laboratories announced on 23 November that it has successfully conducted a mock B61-12 weapons drop from a US Air Force F-35A Lightning II in a flight test that saw the fighter jet launch the bomb from an internal bay faster than the speed of sound.
The demonstration took place on 25 August at the company’s Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, and saw a modified B61-12 with a ‘mock nuclear explosive package’ launched from the F-35A from around 10,500ft, according to Steven Samuels, a manager of Sandia’s B61-12 Systems Team.
Between release and ground impact the weapon was
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