U.S. government building first new nuclear warhead in four decades

"The W93, a new warhead program based on existing designs, remains on track for production starting in the mid-2030s," says the head of the National Nuclear Security Agency

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: April 19, 2024 12:26pm

Updated: April 19, 2024 12:39pm

The United States government is moving ahead with plans to build its first new nuclear warhead in four decades, according to U.S. Energy Department officials.

The W93 warhead would be constructed from $19.8 billion that the National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) requested from Congress for the 2025 fiscal year, according to U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and NNSA Administrator Jill Hruby.

The warhead would be designed to launch from submarines, according to the testimony from the officials in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday.

Hruby elaborated on the future of America's weapons systems during a symposium on Thursday.

"The W93, a new warhead program based on existing designs, remains on track for production starting in the mid-2030s. This system is being designed and produced in parallel to the UK replacement warhead. These five programs, combined with the delivery system modernization by the Department of Defense, represent our effort to sustain the nuclear triad," Hruby said.