United States nuclear weapons, 2024

Figures & data

Table 1. United States nuclear forces, 2024.

Type/Designation	No. of launchers	Year deployed	Warheads x yield (kilotons)	Warheads (total available)^a
ICBMs
LGM-30G Minuteman III
Mk-12A	200	1979	1–3 W78 × 335 (MIRV)	600^b
Mk-21/SERV	200	2006^c	1 W87 × 300	200^d
Total	400^e			800^f
SLBMs
UGM-133A Trident II D5/LE 14/280^g
Mk-4A		2008^h	1–8 W76–1 × 90 (MIRV)	1,511^i
Mk-4A		2019	1–2 W76–2 × 8 (MIRV)^j	25^k
Mk-5		1990	1–8 W88 × 455 (MIRV)	384
Total	14/280			1,920^l
Bombers
B-52H Stratofortress	76/46^m	1961	ALCM/W80–1 × 5–150	500
B-2A Spirit	20/20	1994	B61–7 × 10–360/-11 × 400/-12 × 50	288
			B83–1 × low-1,200
Total	96/66^n			788^o
Total strategic forces				3,508
Nonstrategic forces
F-15E, F-16C/D, F-35A	n/a	1979	1–5 B61–3/-4/-12 bombs x 0.3–170^p	200
Total				200^q
Total stockpile				3,708
Deployed				1,770^r
Reserve (hedge and spares)				1,938
Retired, awaiting dismantlement				1,336
Total Inventory				5,044

Abbreviations used: ALCM: air-launched cruise missile; DCA: dual-capable aircraft; ICBM: intercontinental ballistic missile; LGM: silo-launched ground-attack missile; MIRV: multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle; SERV: security-enhanced reentry vehicle; SLBM: submarine-launched ballistic missile.

^aLists total warheads available. Only a portion of these are deployed with launchers. See individual endnotes for details.

^bRoughly 200 of these are deployed on 200 Minuteman IIIs equipped with the Mk-12A reentry vehicle. The rest are in central storage.

^cThe W87 was initially deployed on the MX/Peacekeeper in 1986 but first transferred to the Minuteman in 2006.

^dThe 200 Mk21-equipped ICBMs can each carry one W87. The estimated remaining 340 W87s are in storage. Excess W87 pits are planned for use in the W78 Replacement Program, previously designated IW-1 but now called W87–1.

^eAnother 50 ICBMs are in storage for potential deployment in 50 empty silos.

^fOf these ICBM warheads, 400 are deployed on operational missiles and the rest are in long-term storage.

^gThe first figure is the total number of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) in the US fleet; the second is the maximum number of missiles that they can carry. Of the 14 SSBNs, at least two are in overhaul at any given time and are therefore not assigned missiles. All 14 SSBNs have now completed their mid-life reactor refueling overhaul and could potentially carry 280 missiles, but two to four are undergoing repairs at any given time and the Pentagon has stated that no more than 240 SLBMs will be deployed. The life-extended Trident II D5LE is replacing the original missile.

^hThe W76–1 is a life-extended version of the W76–0 that was first deployed in 1978.

ⁱAll W76–0 warheads are thought to have now been replaced on ballistic missile submarines by W76–1 warheads, but some are still in storage, and more have been retired and are awaiting dismantlement. It is possible that the W76–1 inventory is a little lower.

^jThe W76–2 is a single-stage low-yield modification of the W76–1 with an estimated yield of 8 kilotons.

^kAssumes two SLBMs, each with one W76–2, available for each deployable SSBN.

^lOf these SLBM warheads, approximately 1,000 are deployed on missiles loaded in ballistic missile submarine launchers.

^mThe United States has 76 B-52Hs in its active inventory. Of those, 46 are nuclear-capable, of which less than 40 are normally deployed.

ⁿThe first figure is the total aircraft inventory, including those used for training, testing, and back-up; the second is the portion of the primary-mission aircraft inventory estimated to be tasked with nuclear missions. The United States has a total of 66 nuclear-capable bombers (46 B-52s and 20 B-2s), but normally only about 50 nuclear bombers are deployed, with the remaining aircraft in overhaul.

^oOf these bomber weapons, up to 300 are deployed at bomber bases. These include an estimated 200 ALCMs at Minot Air Force Base and approximately 100 bombs at Whiteman Air Force Base. The remaining weapons are in long-term storage. B-52H aircraft are no longer tasked with delivering gravity bombs.

^pThe F-15E can carry up to five B61s, the F16 and F-35A up to two B61s each. Some tactical B61s in Europe are available for NATO DCAs (F-16MLU, PA-200, and soon F-35A). The maximum yield of the B61–3 is 170 kilotons, while the maximum yield of the B61–4 is 50 kilotons, the same as the B61–12.

^qAn estimated 100 B61–3 and −4 bombs are deployed in Europe, of which about 60 are earmarked for use by NATO aircraft. The remaining 100 bombs are in central storage in the United States as backup and contingency missions in the Indo-Pacific region. The new B61–12 gravity bomb will begin replacing the older versions in Europe and the United States from early-2024.

^rDeployed warheads include approximately 1,370 on ballistic missiles (400 on ICBMs and 970 on SLBMs), 300 weapons at heavy bomber bases, and 100 nonstrategic bombs deployed in Europe.

Figure 1. Missile test silo construction at Vandenberg Space Force Base, possibly for Sentinel. (Credit: Federation of American Scientists/Airbus via Google Earth).

Figure 2. Construction activity over time at Barksdale Air Force Base corresponds to contract details. (Credit: Federation of American Scientists/CNES/Airbus via Google Earth and Planet Labs PBC).

Figure 3. US Air Force budget document describes the proposed construction of a “surety dormitory” at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom. (Credit: Federation of American Scientists/US Air Force).

Figure 4. Upgrades at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom. (Credit: Federation of American Scientists/Airbus via Google Earth).