United States Nuclear Forces, 2016

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, 31 Oct 2016

Hans M. Kristensen & Robert S. Norris | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – TRANSCEND Media Service

Published online: 2 March 2016

1. The W87 was initially deployed on the MX/Peacekeeper in 1986.
2. Two additional submarines with 48 missile tubes (total) are normally in refueling overhaul and not available for deployment. They are not assigned nuclear weapons. Sometimes more than two submarines are undergoing maintenance.
3. The first figure is the aircraft inventory, including those used for training, testing, and backup; the second is the portion of the primary-mission aircraft inventory estimated to be tasked for nuclear missions. As of September 2015, nuclear-capable bombers included 88 B-52Hs and 20 B-2s.
4. The pool of bombs and cruise missiles allows for multiple loading possibilities depending on the mission. The Air Force has 528 nuclear-armed ALCMs (and more spares), of which an estimated 200 are deployed at Minot Air Force Base. Although B-52Hs can also carry the B61-7 and B83-1 gravity bombs, these are only planned for delivery on the B-2s.
5. These are deployed in Europe. Another 320 bombs are in storage in the United States, for a total estimated inventory of 500 nonstrategic bombs.
6. This includes spares.

ALCM: air-launched cruise missile

ICBM: intercontinental ballistic missile

LGM: silo-launched ground-attack missile

MIRV: multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle

SERV: security-enhanced reentry vehicle

SLCM: sea-launched cruise missile

SLBM: submarine-launched ballistic missile

UGM: underwater-launched ground attack missile

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