WASHINGTON, October 27. /TASS/. The United States has announced plans to manufacture a new variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb.

"Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that the United States will pursue a modern variant of the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, designated the B61-13, pending Congressional authorization and appropriation," the US Department of Defense said in a press release on Friday. "The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) would produce the B61-13."

According to the Pentagon, this decision "responds to the demands of a rapidly evolving security environment."

"The B61-13 represents a reasonable step to manage the challenges of a highly dynamic security environment. While it provides us with additional flexibility, production of the B61-13 will not increase the overall number of weapons in our nuclear stockpile," Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb was quoted as saying.

The Department of Defense did not disclose the new bomb’s yield, saying only that it will be "similar to the B61-7, which is higher than that of the B61-12." The bomb be "deliverable by modern aircraft," it added.

Russia has repeatedly slammed such US plans as having an openly provocative nature and running counter to its statements on its commitment to complete disarmament.