The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is regarded by many as the best fighter on the planet today. And now it can drop nuclear weapons on a target – Did you know that an F-35A Lightning II is nuclear-capable? We have covered “beast mode” when the Joint Strike Fighter can be outfitted with an estimated 22,000 pounds of munitions. But these are conventional weapons. An F-35 can also drop nuclear bombs and we have the video to prove it.

Check out the 2020 film below of this test nuclear bombing run. The device dropped 10,500 feet from an F-35A at supersonic speeds with a dummy warhead and simulated nuclear components. It took 42 seconds for the bomb to hit its target:

What is the B61-12?

This is a practice B61-12 gravity bomb that is guided by a tail-kit assembly and is thus quite accurate. You can see the tail-kit spinning mechanism come alive about two-thirds through the video. The test strike happened at the Nellis Range Complex’s Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

The B61-12 is a small, tactical battlefield nuclear weapon. The actual strength of the B61-12 is classified but it is believed to have a maximum yield of 50 kilotons (50 thousand tons of TNT). In comparison, the B83 nuclear bomb is 1,000 kilotons. The B61-12 yield can be reduced depending on the battlefield target.

Useful Against Enemy Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles

Source: Force Technology YouTube