One week after the formal expiration of the New START treaty—which had served as a mechanism for controlling the nuclear arsenals held by the United States and Russia—the U.S. Air Force has stated that it is ready to equip all of its B-52H bombers with nuclear capabilities and to increase the number of warheads carried on its Minuteman III intercontinental missiles. This is no minor development, considering that neither nation remains bound by limitations on the number of weapons it can possess and deploy, a situation that has raised concerns among analysts, governments, and international organizations.
Expanding on the U.S. Air Force’s nuclear capabilities, it is worth recalling that it operates a total of 76 B-52H strategic bombers, of which around 30 had been restricted to carrying only conventional munitions while the aforementioned agreement was still in force—a limitation that has now lapsed. In addition, the country fields approximately 400 Minuteman III missiles equipped with either W78 warheads (around 335 kilotons) or W87 warheads (up to 475 kilotons), deployed in silos across five different states and likewise previously constrained by parity with Russia’s capabilities.
Referring to these issues, a USAF spokesperson told specialized local media: “While we will not comment on our force posture, Air Force Global Strike Command maintains the capability and training to MIRV the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile force and to convert the entire B-52 fleet into dual-capable long-range strike platforms if directed by the President.”
It should be noted that in order to carry this out, the service would need to reconvert the 30 B-52H bombers previously mentioned. Russian authorities had earlier indicated that such work would be relatively straightforward if the aircraft’s nuclear-carrying capability were to be restored. Specifically, the prior conversion to a conventional-only role reportedly consisted of removing the enabling switch that allows the insertion of the corresponding nuclear code, as well as the associated wiring, and subsequently installing a cover to prevent access. Additionally, nuclear-capable aircraft are said to feature rear-mounted antennas that are absent on those that were modified, allowing for easy visual distinction.
Although it remains unclear whether additional types of work would be required, U.S. experts have already suggested that the Air Force possesses the technical capacity to carry it out, though new funding would be necessary. In this regard, it should be considered that the USAF is already undertaking efforts to extend the service life of its B-52H bombers in order to operate them until 2050, a process that in itself represents a significant financial outlay. Among the planned upgrades are the integration of new APQ-188 AESA radars, new 8×20-inch high-definition touchscreen displays, and a more efficient liquid cooling system, complemented by a new propulsion system based on Rolls-Royce F130 engines.
In addition, it is worth mentioning that currently only one type of nuclear weapon is certified for operation from B-52 bombers—namely, the AGM-86B cruise missile. However, the Air Force has been investing in the development of a new long-range weapon designated AGM-181A, which is also intended to equip the B-21 Raider. This translates into increased pressure on the service’s budgets, as well as technical challenges associated with integrating these systems into existing platforms, adding further complexity to the efforts described above.
Finally, it is necessary to recall that alongside these developments, the USAF is focused on the development of the new LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile to replace the current Minuteman III. With the new scenario created by the collapse of the New START treaty, it remains to be seen whether Washington will seek to increase the number of missiles produced, as well as the number of warheads with which they could be equipped—a factor that the agreement had limited to a single warhead per missile. For now, however, the program is affected by significant cost overruns and delays, primarily linked to the requirements that future silos intended to house the Sentinel must meet.
Images used for illustrative purposes
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