Ibhalwe nguLen Ackland, I-Rocky Mountain PBS News
Ibhomu lenuzi elingundabuzekwayo kunawo wonke ake ahlelelwa izikhali zase-US - abanye bathi eliyingozi kakhulu, futhi - selithole imvume evela kuMnyango Wezamandla Kuzwelonke Wezokuphepha Zenuzi.
The isikhungo simenyezelwe ngo-Agasti 1 lapho i-B61-12 - ibhomu lenuzi eliqondiswayo lokuqala lesizwe, noma "elihlakaniphile," - lase liqede isigaba seminyaka emine sokuthuthukiswa nokuhlola futhi manje likunjiniyela wokukhiqiza, isigaba sokugcina ngaphambi kokukhiqizwa okuphelele okuhlelelwe 2020.
Lesi simemezelo siza naphezu kwezixwayiso eziphindaphindiwe ezivela kochwepheshe bezempi kanye nabanye ababeyizikhulu zezempi eziphakeme ukuthi ibhomu, elizophathwa yizindiza zempi, lingase lilinge ukusetshenziswa ngesikhathi sokungqubuzana ngenxa yokunemba kwalo. Ibhomu lihambisana nokunemba okuphezulu namandla aqhumayo angalawulwa.
UMongameli uBarack Obama ubelokhu ezibophezele njalo ukuthi uzokwehlisa izikhali zenuzi futhi adele izikhali ngamakhono amasha ezempi. Kodwa-ke uhlelo lwe-B61-12 luphumelele kwezombusazwe nakwezomnotho kosonkontileka bezokuvikela abanjengo-Lockheed Martin Corp., njengoba kubhalwe encwadiniVeza uphenyo ngonyaka odlule.
I-B61-12 - ngamadola ayizigidi eziyizinkulungwane ezingu-11 ngamabhomu angaba ngu-400 ibhomu lenuzi lase-US elibiza kakhulu kunawo wonke ake - ikhombisa amandla angavamile ophiko lwe-athomu lokho uMongameli uDwight D. Eisenhower akubiza ngokuthi "inxanxathela yezimboni zezempi," manje eseziqambe kabusha ngokuthi" ibhizinisi lenuzi.” Leli bhomu lisenkabeni yentuthuko eqhubekayo yezikhali zenuzi zaseMelika, okulindeleke ukuthi libize u-$1 trillion kule minyaka engu-30 ezayo.
Cishe wonke umuntu uyavuma ukuthi inqobo nje uma izikhali zenuzi zisekhona, kudingeka ukuthuthukiswa okuthile kwamabutho ase-US ukuze kunqandwe amanye amazwe ekunyukeleni kwezikhali zenuzi ngesikhathi sokungqubuzana. Kodwa abagxeki baphonsela inselelo ukugabadela kanye nobubanzi bezinhlelo zamanje zesimanje.
Ekupheleni kukaJulayi, ama-seneta ayi-10 abhala u-Obama incwadi enxusa ukuthi asebenzise izinyanga zakhe ezisele esikhundleni “ukuze anqande ukusetshenziswa kwezikhali zenuzi zase-US futhi anciphise ingozi yempi yenuzi” ngokuthi, phakathi kwezinye izinto, “ahlehlise izinhlelo zesimanje zezikhali zenuzi.” Banxuse ngokuqondile umongameli ukuthi akhansele umcibisholo omusha we-nuclear cruise air-launched, lapho i-Air Force manje isicela iziphakamiso kosonkontileka bezokuvikela.
Nakuba ezinye izinhlelo zezikhali ezintsha zikude nomgwaqo, ibhomu le-B61-12 liseduze kakhulu futhi liyakhathaza uma kubhekwa izehlakalo zakamuva ezifana nokuzama ukuketula umbuso eTurkey. Lokhu kungenxa yokuthi leli bhomu lenuzi eliqondiswayo kungenzeka buyisela amabhomu e-B180 amadala angu-61 igcinwe emazweni amahlanu ase-Europe, okuhlanganisa neTurkey, enama-B50 alinganiselwa ku-61 agcinwe e-Incirlik Air Base. Ukuba sengozini okungaba khona kwesayithi kunakho kuphakamise imibuzo mayelana nenqubomgomo yase-US mayelana nokugcina izikhali zenuzi phesheya.
Kodwa eminye imibuzo igxile ekunembeni okwandisiwe kwe-B61-12. Ngokungafani namabhomu adonsela phansi awela mahhala azowashintsha, i-B61-12 izoba ibhomu lenuzi eliqondiswayo. Ukuhlanganiswa kwayo okusha kwe-Boeing Co. tail kit kwenza ibhomu likwazi ukushaya okuhlosiwe ngokunembile. Ngokusebenzisa ubuchwepheshe be-dial-a-yield, amandla aqhumayo ebhomu angalungiswa ngaphambi kokundiza ukusuka endaweni ephakeme elinganiselwe yamathani angu-50,000 wamandla alingana ne-TNT kuya kwephansi kwamathani angu-300. Ibhomu lingathwalwa ngamajethi okulwa amnyama.
“Uma abantu baseRussia beqhumisa ibhomu lenuzi eliqondisayo esilwini esinobuqili esingangena esivikelweni somoya, lokho bekuyokwengeza yini umbono lapha wokuthi behlisa umngcele wokusebenzisa izikhali zenuzi? Impela,” kusho uHans Kristensen we-Federation of American Scientists embonweni ongaphambili we-Reveal.
NoGeneral James Cartwright, umkhuzi osewathatha umhlalaphansi we-US Strategic Command utshele i-PBS NewsHour ngoNovemba odlule ukuthi amakhono amasha we-B61-12 angalinga ukusetshenziswa kwayo.
"Uma ngingakwazi ukwehlisa isivuno, ngehlise, ngakho-ke, amathuba okuba khona kokuwa, njll., ingabe lokho kukwenza kusetshenziswe kakhulu emehlweni abanye - umongameli othile noma inqubo yokuthatha izinqumo kwezokuphepha kazwelonke? Futhi impendulo ithi, kungenzeka isebenziseke kakhulu. ”
