Sandia National Laboratories, together with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), carried out a series of flight tests of strategic arsenal components at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The operations, supported by logistics and aircraft generation from Hill Air Force Base in Utah, took place between August 19 and 21 and concluded with positive results. During the tests, inert units of the B61-12 free-fall nuclear bomb were carried and released by an F-35A Lightning II fighter-bomber, allowing the system’s performance to be evaluated.
The August tests were the only ones this year in which joint test assemblies of the B61-12 were used on an F-35A. This verified the full reliability of the aircraft, its crew, and the weapons system in complete mission profiles. Additionally, this campaign included—for the first time—the thermal preconditioning of a test assembly before being carried by an F-35A, enabling the validation of the B61-12’s environmental requirements in a real operational scenario.
Jeffrey Boyd, surveillance lead for the B61-12 and B61-13 programs at Sandia, highlighted the joint effort behind the testing. “These B61-12 flight tests with the F-35A and the captive-carry test were the final achievement of an enormous amount of planning and work by all involved, not only at Sandia but also across many other agencies,” he said. He added that these tests “represent the culmination of the largest number of B61-12 flight surveillance tests conducted in a single year to date and the highest volume expected in the coming years.”
Meanwhile, Brian Adkins, manager of the Tonopah Test Range, explained that test days require constant adjustments to ensure safe execution. “The expedited coordination of the entire test team resulted in two successful days of trials to evaluate three assets,” he stated.
Cooperation between Sandia, the operational test personnel at the range, and the U.S. Air Force contributes to the ongoing assessment of the F-35A’s accuracy and reliability for diverse missions. The data obtained will be analyzed to strengthen Sandia’s technical capabilities and support its national security mission. In 2024, the NNSA completed the B61-12 life extension program, which will extend the weapon’s service life by at least two decades.
Context: Nuclear testing resumption announced by President Trump
The announcement of these tests comes alongside a public statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared a few weeks ago his decision to resume “nuclear testing” after more than thirty years without detonations. On his social network, the president stated:
“America has more nuclear weapons than any other country. This was achieved, including a full modernization and renewal of the existing arsenal, during my first term. Because of their tremendous destructive power, it was very hard for me to do it, but I had no choice! Russia is number two, and China a distant third, but the situation will even out in five years. Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons on equal terms. This process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The presidential message marks a departure from the policy maintained since 1992—the year of the last U.S. detonation—and from the moratorium that continued after the end of the Cold War. The decision has immediate effects on the international strategic environment, especially in a context marked by advancing Russian and Chinese military capabilities.
Legally, the announcement relates to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), adopted in 1996. Article 1 of the instrument states: “Each State Party undertakes not to carry out any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion, and to prohibit and prevent any such nuclear explosion at any place under its jurisdiction or control.” Although the United States signed the treaty, it never ratified it, meaning its full entry into force still depends on ratification by several States listed in Annex II.
The presidential directive to restart testing represents a turning point in more than three decades of non-detonation policy. Its effective implementation will depend on technical, diplomatic, and political factors, as well as on the international system’s ability to exert verification and pressure mechanisms in an increasingly competitive strategic landscape.
*Images courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories.
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