Air Force Weighs Keeping 1970s-Era Missiles Until 2050

Anthony Capaccio | Bloomberg

The US Air Force is considering contingency plans that would extend the life of 1970s-era intercontinental ballistic missiles by 11 more years to 2050 if delays continue to plague the new Sentinel models intended to replace them. The current plan is to remove all 400 Minuteman III ICBMs made by Boeing Co. from silos by 2039… The Sentinel was projected last year to be deployed starting in May 2029. The first test flight was once projected for December 2023, but fiscal 2025 budget documents indicated a slip to February 2026.

RFE/RL Finds New Evidence Of Russia's Suspected Secret Nuclear Base In Belarus

Andrei Shauliuha and Ray Furlong | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

A seemingly innocuous photo posted online in September 2024 is a small piece in a larger mosaic of evidence uncovered by RFE/RL’s Belarus Service of a secret Russian nuclear weapons base in the Eastern European country… The photo, taken at the 1,405th ammunition base in central Belarus, might have disclosed one of the locations. It shows unit commander Lieutenant Colonel Valery Kuzmin congratulating his men at a celebration. On a wall behind him, a digital monitor shows the level of radiation measured at the base, despite it being located more than 100 kilometers from the nearest nuclear power station.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to stay in Russian control, Moscow says

Reuters

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was a Russian facility and transferring control of it to Ukraine or any other country was impossible. The ministry also said that jointly operating the plant was not admissible as it would be impossible to properly ensure the physical and nuclear safety of the station.

Iran not pursuing nukes, but uranium stockpile at its highest, says Gabbard

Swati Gandhi | Business Standard

Iran is not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon currently, Tulsi Gabbard, US Director of National Intelligence (DNI), said, citing the US Intelligence Community at a Senate Intelligence hearing on Tuesday (local time). During a Senate hearing, she further noted that discussion of nuclearisation has increased inside the regime in Tehran. "The IC continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorised the nuclear weapons programme he suspended in 2003," Gabbard informed the Senate. She also informed that Iran's uranium stockpile is at its highest, and it is unprecedented for a state without nuclear weapons.

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un touts AI suicide drones, early-warning aircraft

Jack Kim | Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development, state media reported on Thursday… The nuclear-armed North also officially unveiled an airborne early-warning aircraft for the first time, a capability that could improve its aging air defence systems.

The UK’s nuclear deterrent relies on US support – but there are no other easy alternatives

Marion Messmer and Olivia O’Sullivan | Chatham House

The Trump administration’s volatile approach to its allies has forced the UK to reconsider fundamental pillars of its defence policy, including whether it can rely on the US. This extends even to the UK’s nuclear deterrent, with many questioning whether the UK needs a nuclear weapons system that is less dependent on the US for maintenance and support.