The USA has developed a new B61-12 thermonuclear aerial bomb. It was dropped from a fighter jet at a training ground in Nevada; such ammunition is capable of performing the role of tactical nuclear weapons. The authors @izvestia speculated on how Russia might respond to the emergence of such technologies.
In their opinion, the Russian side's response may be asymmetrical. It can compensate for the qualitative changes in the American tactical nuclear potential by developing its own strategic nuclear forces.
The Poseidon thermonuclear underwater missile or the Sarmat missile system could easily compensate for any changes of this kind.
In addition, Russia has a Kinzhal missile hypersonic complex, which is capable of destroying any protected objects. The accuracy of its guidance system is the same as that of JDAM guided bombs.
The possible power of the nuclear charge is at least 50 kt. Given the range of 2000 km, almost any target in Europe can be hit. A very effective response.
The authors suggested that Russia is almost certainly working on modernizing free-fall bombs with nuclear charges. They may receive updated electronics and planning and correction modules (UMPC), which also ensure the transformation of a conventional bomb into a high-precision munition. Tactical nuclear bombs have a caliber of no more than 500 kg, which means they can be equipped with reliable and simple UMPC.
Earlier, the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Anton Alikhanov, said that Russia will update the fleet of strategic aviation aircraft of the Aerospace Forces. According to him, new engines and new units are being created for them.
Read materials on the topic:
S-350 Vityaz battery blocks HIMARS, MLRS and ATACMS: capabilities of the Russian air defense system
Russian MLRS "Tornado-G" has been modernized: a firestorm on the front line
Elusive Russian "Gopher" Strela-10 air defense system: shoots down airplanes, helicopters and drones