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Nuclear ForcesUnited States

U.S. nuclear bomber force

Nuclear force componentActivePending verification

Also known as: Bomber leg

Nuclear ForcesUSA
U.S. nuclear bomber force
Photo: Senior Airman Joshua Hastings, U.S. Air Force / DVIDS · Public domain, DVIDS
Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeNuclear force component
Alternative designationsBomber leg
ProliferationOrigin country only
PlatformsB-2A: 19 (about 18 assigned nuclear missions); B-52H: 76, of which 46 nuclear-capable (about 42 assigned)Med[1]
BasesMinot AFB, Barksdale AFB, Whiteman AFB; Ellsworth and Dyess planned as nuclear storage bases by the 2030sMed[1]
Program statusB-21 Raider: at least 100 planned (possibly up to 145); AGM-181 LRSO to replace AGM-86B from 2030 (1,087 planned)Med[1]
Warhead inventory
Warheads assigned805 warheadsAbout 500 are ALCMsMed[1]
Warheads deployed300 warheadsWeapons at bomber bases; about 505 in central storage at Kirtland AFBMed[1]
Delivery
Delivery systemsAGM-86B ALCM (B-52H, up to 20); B61-7, B61-11, B61-12, B61-13 and B83-1 bombs (B-2A, up to 16)Med[1]
Summary

Air leg of the U.S. triad: B-2A and B-52H bombers armed with cruise missiles and gravity bombs.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
United States
Sources
  1. United States nuclear weapons, 2026, Federation of American Scientists Nuclear Notebook, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
    Published/updated 2026-03-01 · Tier 2 · checked 2026-11-08
Change log
  • 2026-11-08 Entry created from United States nuclear weapons, 2026 (FAS Nuclear Notebook)