nuclear-news

USA’s B61 bombs becoming even more astronomically expensive

Billions more needed to refurbish B61 nuclear bombs, Stars and Stripes By JOHN FLECK Albuquerque Journal, N.M. November 4, 2012 Technicians at the Pantex Plant in Texas, where nuclear bombs are disassembled for testing, prepare to start the evaluation process on a B61 nuclear bomb, the oldest in the arsenal. The B61 is about to undergo a major overhaul that the Pentagon estimates will cost up to $10 billion, or $25 million per bomb.

NATIONAL NUCLEAR SECURITY ADMINISTRATION The National Nuclear Security Administration, already under fire for billions of dollars of cost overruns, has underestimated by billions more how much it will cost to refurbish the nation’s stockpile of B61 nuclear bombs, according to an independent cost assessment commissioned by the agency.

Already juggling its budget to cope with existing problems, the agency
will likely need to come up with another $1 billion per year for the
next few years if the project is to go ahead as currently envisioned,
according to a summary of the assessment obtained by the Journal
.Among the biggest shortcomings is a signif icant underestimate of the
amount of systems engineering work to be done at Sandia National
Laboratories in Albuquerque.

According to the independent assessment done by the Pentagon, NNSA has
failed to explain how it will handle the need for additional staff to
carry out the highly skilled work needed to redesign and build the
refurbished bomb….
In 2010, the agency estimated it would cost $3.9 billion to refurbish
the bombs, built to be carried aboard U.S. aircraft to counter
Russia’s military arsenal. Since then, the agency has repeatedly
refused to release a new project cost amid reports that its internal
estimates have soared.

According to the project assessment, the NNSA’s internal agency bottom
line for the project in July had risen to $6.8 billion.

But the Pentagon cost assessment team brought in to provide a second
opinion criticized that number as far too low, concluding it is likely
to cost $10.4 billion and take three years longer than the NNSA’s
current planning estimate. Critics say a big part of the cost is an
overly ambitious refurbishment project, which involves redesigning and
manufacturing nearly all the components inside the bombs. Official
numbers are classified, but nongovernment experts estimate there are
400 B61 bombs that require refurbishment.

The 29 major components included in the project represent essentially
throwing out nearly all of the old bombs and for all practical
purposes building new ones from scratch, said Bob Peurifoy, a retired
Sandia labs vice president. Peurifoy said there is no evidence such
wholesale remanufacturing is needed, and that the project could likely
be done for far less.

The independent assessment team from the Department of Defense didn’t
review whether the planned changes are needed, focusing instead on the
cost of doing the project as currently envisioned by the NNSA.

The team criticized NNSA’s cost estimates as too optimistic and
challenged the project schedule, given the agency’s history of
performance on similar projects in the past.

The independent assessment also concluded that NNSA’s own cost
estimates lack the necessary “detailed technical and programmatic
definition” to realistically estimate the project cost and schedule —
even though $300 million has already been spent on the project……
The B61’s cost and schedule problems compound increasing difficulties
the agency faces as a result of repeated instances of similar problems
on other major nuclear weapons projects…..
http://www.stripes.com/news/us/billions-more-needed-to-refurbish-b61-nuclear-bombs-1.195938

November 5, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, weapons and war