The new US nuclear bomb that worries Russia, China and Iran: it is up to 24 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb

In that scenario, USA took a step that once again set off global alarms: the Department of Energy requested about 100 million dollars to launch the program NDS-A (Nuclear Disruptive Strike-Air), a new bunker buster nuclear bomb designed to destroy extremely protected underground targets.

More than a bomb, it is a technology platform combining advanced penetration engineering, intelligent guidance and compatibility with next-generation stealth aircraft.

The new weapon is part of a military strategy aimed at neutralizing objectives considered “hard and deeply buried”such as underground command centers, nuclear bases and military complexes protected under mountains or kilometers of concrete.

Therefore, unlike a traditional bomb, which detonates on the surface or at a certain height to maximize the destructive radius, this “bunker buster” class is designed to drill into ground, rock or concrete before exploding.

The technological principle behind these weapons combines ultra-resistant materials, high-speed aerodynamics and delayed detonation mechanisms.

Currently, the main reference of this type within the US arsenal is the B61-11a gravity pump equipped with a reinforced cone of depleted uranium allowing it to pass through underground structures before exploding.

The new NDS-A system aims to go even further, incorporating precision technologies and possibly propulsion systems that allow throw the weapon at a greater distance.

In addition, the first platform planned to transport the new generation of bombs would be the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, one of the most sophisticated aircraft in the US arsenal.

The so-called B-2 is already certified to carry both the B61-11 and the gigantic GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a conventional bomb of more than 13 tons used to attack underground facilities.

Later and according to Pentagon sources, the United States’ objective would be to integrate the new weapon into the future Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, considered the natural successor to the B-2.

The advancement of the NDS-A program occurs in parallel with the incorporation of the new B61-13a modernized nuclear bomb recently introduced by the United States.

According to data from the US government itself, the B61-13 will have a destructive capacity of between 340 and 400 kilotons, that is, up to 24 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb and will have precision guidance systems.

However, authorities clarified that this model was not specifically designed to replace the B61-11 or for extreme bunker-busting roles.

The US decision to continue with the development of this type of weapons has to do with the plans of its adversaries, who have accelerated the construction of strategic underground facilities in recent years.

For example, China invests billions in military automation and underground infrastructure; Russia modernizes hypersonic systems and long-range defenses; while Iran and North Korea they reinforce buried complexes.

The problem for Washington is that current conventional bombs have limitations against extremely deep targets.

That debate reappeared with force after the attacks against Iranian facilities carried out during Operation Midnight Hammer in 2025, when B-2 bombers used GBU-57/B conventional bombs on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear complexes.

The results of that offensive generated questions within the US military apparatus itself and reinforced the idea of ​​developing a new generation of nuclear penetration weapons.