US deploys nuclear weapons in UK for first time since 2008 — media

The United States has deployed its nuclear weapons on the territory of the UK for the first time since 2008. These are B61-12 thermonuclear bombs.

The UK Defense Journal reported this with reference to OSINT analysts.

The B61-12 bombs were delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath base in Suffolk.

OSINT analysts believe that the bombs were delivered from the US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center in New Mexico.

The US Department of Defense has not officially confirmed this information, and the UK Ministry of Defense, as a rule, does not comment on the presence or absence of nuclear weapons in specific locations.

The publication notes that the Lakenheath base was used to deploy American nuclear weapons during the Cold War. The last time US nuclear bombs were at this facility was in 2008.

The return of US nuclear weapons to the UK indicates a fundamental shift in the nuclear policy of the North Atlantic Alliance against the backdrop of deteriorating relations with russia.

The B61-12 is a modernized version of a low-yield tactical thermonuclear bomb. The bomb was designed for use by aircraft, in particular the fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II fighter jets.

It is noted that the Lakenheath base serves the 493rd and 495th Fighter Squadrons of the RAF, which are armed with these fighters.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in June the Swedish television and radio company SVT reported that russia was modernizing its nuclear bases located near the borders of European countries.

Recall, on May 14, French President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris is ready to begin discussions with European allies on the issue of deploying its nuclear weapons on their territory.

We also wrote that in January of this year, the United States announced that it had begun deploying B61-12 nuclear bombs on European territory.

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