The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the US Department of Energy has confirmed the production of the first plutonium pit for the W87-1 thermonuclear warhead modernization program.
During the Cold War, the United States could produce hundreds of units per year, but production was suspended in 1989.
The resumption of plutonium pit production for the W87-1 is an important milestone for the modernization of US nuclear weapons. The W87-1 warhead will be equipped with the LGM-35 Sentinel advanced intercontinental ballistic missiles, which will replace the Minuteman III.
The latter have been in service since 1970 and are currently the only silo-based ICBMs in service in the United States.
The process of creating the first such pit took eight years with the participation of leading laboratories such as Livermore National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The ultimate goal is to restore production capacity to produce at least 80 plutonium pits per year. Los Alamos plans to achieve the production of 30 units per year, and production facilities at the Savannah River site will be able to produce 50 units per year. This rate is expected to be reached by the mid-2030s.
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