Photo: Bomber B -52
The US Congress is preparing the ground for the reverse conversion of about 30 B-52H Stratofortress bombers so that they can carry nuclear weapons, the Voice of America reports. citing Defense News.
The bombers were modified so they could only drop non-nuclear weapons as part of the New START treaty with Russia.
The newspaper reported that the Senate and House bills The FY 2025 defense policy calls for the Air Force to make the bombers part of the nuclear triad again.
This comes nearly a decade after they were stripped of those capabilities under treaty restrictions.< /p>
The treaty expires in February 2026.
The publication says lawmakers are seeking to strengthen the US nuclear arsenal, given that Russia has suspended participation in the treaty and China is rapidly increasing production of strategic warheads .
Opponents of the measure say it will complicate negotiations for a new treaty and hamper efforts to significantly extend the life of the fleet of B-52 bombers that first entered service during the Cold War, Defense News noted.
"The treaty expires in 2026, and the prospect of Russia coming to the negotiating table on serious arms control is extremely low," – Republican Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said last week.
"We must be prepared for a situation in which there are no treaty restrictions on nuclear weapons,",&ndash ; he added.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga