The Sandia National Laboratories released previously-classified footage of a US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation multi-role stealth fighter dropping an inert B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb on November 23.
This inaugural sortie took place over the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, on August 25, and kicked off a flight test campaign that will integrate the B61-12 onto the USAF’s F-35A fleet. This test flight saw the first release of an inert version of the munition from the internal bomb bay of a multi-role fighter travelling faster than the speed of sound. It also marked the first time that the nuclear gravity bomb was tested with the F-35A at the Tonopah Test Range.
