U.S. announces test detonation of weapons-grade plutonium

The U.S. military plans to detonate a small amount of plutonium to test the effectiveness of nuclear weapons. National Public Radio(NPR) reported on January 30.

"In a few months <...> scientists will detonate a small amount of plutonium using chemical explosives," the piece said.

According to the radio, this project is called Cygnus, and the closest detonation will be code-named Nob Hill.

Scientists specified that the explosion is planned to produce a small, with a small fraction of the power of nuclear weapons, so there will not be even a small fraction of an uncontrolled reaction.

Earlier, on January 18, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Jill Hruby said that the United States has completed the deployment of modified B61-12 gravity bombs in Europe. She also emphasized the strength of the strategic partnership between Washington and London on the issue of nuclear weapons.

Prior to that, on December 18, 2024, The Telegraph newspaper reported that the US was going to deploy tactical nuclear weapons at the Lakenheath military base in the UK in the coming years. It was noted that a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons is now under construction at the base.

On June 21 last year, the head of the media department of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Alistair Burnett said that the U.S. continues to prepare for the deployment of nuclear weapons in the UK, but at the moment they have not yet been placed on the territory of the country.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also spoke about the relevant US plans last February. He emphasized that the warheads could be deployed in the near future. At the same time, according to the diplomat, Washington and London are mistaken if they think that this will be an act of deterrence against Russia. Russia will find ways "to get around it."