Non Strategic Nuclear Weapons - Federation of American Scientists

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If so, the activists would have missed the very shelters where the weapons were stored. Another possible explanation is that security personnel was so confident in the intrinsic security provided by the underground vaults that they initially ignore the activists in order not to reveal the actual location of weapons. A third possibility is that Kleine Brogel no longer stores nuclear weapons, but it is highly unlikely that the U.S. Air Force would deploy the expensive MUNSS at the base if the weapons had been withdrawn. Figure 4: U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Europe U.S. Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons �e number of U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe has been reduced unilaterally by 95 percent since 1991 and more than 50 percent since 2000. Germany is host to 10–20 B61 bombs at its Büchel AB (see Figure 5), for delivery by German PA-200 Tornados of the 33rd Fighter Bomber Squadron; the weapons are under custody of the U.S. Air Force 702nd MUNSS. Eleven shelters are equipped with underground vaults for the bombs, with a maximum capacity of 44 weapons. The German government has decided to retain the old Tornado aircraft through 2020. Germany’s next-generation strike aircraft, the Eurofighter, is not equipped to carry nuclear weapons, and Berlin is not believed to have plans to acquire replacement aircraft for the nuclear mission. The German government favors a withdrawal of nuclear weapons from Europe but would prefer that a decision to do so be made as a consensus decision by NATO. Italy hosts an estimated 60–70 B61 bombs at two locations. Roughly 50 of the weapons are stored at Aviano AB for delivery by F-16C/Ds of the U.S. Air Force 31st Fighter Wing. The base has 18 underground vaults for nuclear weapons storage (for a maximum capacity of 72 bombs). Federation of American Scientists www.FAS.org 18
Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons May 2012 Figure 5: Nuclear Bomber Base at Büchel, Germany Büchel Air Base, Germany (image: April 30, 2001, GeoContent via Google Earth): The base is located in southwestern Germany (50°10’N, 07°04’E) near the border to Luxemburg. The base has 33 protective aircraft shelters on the base, of which 11 are equipped with WS3 underground storage vaults for nuclear weapons with a maximum capacity of 44. The U.S. Air Force deploys 10-20 B61 bombs at the base under custody of the 702 nd Munitions Support Squadron (MUNSS) for delivery by German PA-200 Tornado IDS bombers of the JaboG-33 squadron. Another 10–20 B61s are stored at Ghedi Torre AB, for delivery by Italian PA-200 Tornado aircraft of the 6th Fighter Wing. The weapons are under custody of the U.S. Air Force 704th MUNSS. A decade ago, the base stored 40 bombs, but it is likely that the inventory has been reduced to match the deployment at other national bases. The Italian government has decided to replace the aging Tornado with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Italy is tentatively scheduled to receive its first four JSFs in 2014, with additional deliveries slated through 2025. It was initially expected that a total of 131 aircraft 19 Federation of American Scientists www.FAS.org
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Non Strategic Nuclear Weapons - Federation of American Scientists

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