WASHINGTON – The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) successfully completed the First Production Unit (FPU) of the W76-2 warhead on Feb. 22 at the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, according to a NNSA release on Feb. 25.
The W76-2 FPU represents NNSA’s ability to achieve a significant program milestone in support of a national security initiative requested by the president in the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review.
“NNSA is fully committed to meeting the requirements of our partners at the Department of Defense,” said Dr. Charles P. Verdon, NNSA’s deputy administrator for defense programs. “The W76-2 will allow for tailored deterrence in the face of evolving threats.”
The W76-2 program is a modification of the W76-1 warhead to provide a low-yield, sea-launched ballistic-missile warhead capability.
NNSA is on track to complete the W76-2 Initial Operational Capability warhead quantity and deliver the units to the Navy by the end of fiscal 2019.
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