Nuclear Fangs for the F-35 - Obama's Light Bomber

Don't Worry, This Will Only Hurt for a Second

The United States is refurbishing 200 nuclear bombs for use aboard the F-35 light attack bomber.

The old B-61 gravity bombs are being converted with new tail fin assemblies that will transform them into guided weapons.  They'll be kept at various bases in Europe from Belgium to Turkey.

Little Bundles of Instant Sunshine

"What will be going back to Europe will be a guided nuclear bomb," [Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons expert at the Federation of Nuclear Scientists]  said. "Especially when you combine it with F35 with stealth characteristics, that expands the targets you can hold at risk from Europe, because by placing the explosion closer to the target you can choose a lower explosive yield. That is very important as there is less radioactive fallout. For many people this is a great concern because it means making nuclear weapons more 'usable'."

The new B61 Mk12 will be a 50 kilotonne weapon, like most of the "tactical" nuclear bombs currently in Europe.  

There you go.  The F-35 has already received the mission it's probably best suited for - a tactical nuclear strike bomber.   Best of all, Turkey, where some of the upgraded B-61 nukes will likely wind up, shares a good stretch of common border with Iran which would put those F-35s within reasonable striking distance of Tehran.