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Pantex Completes W-87 Warhead Upgrades
The Pantex nuclear plant in Texas has completed upgrades for all U.S. W-87 warheads, which are carried on the MX strategic missile, the Amarillo Globe-News reported Saturday (see GSN, Aug. 23). The W-87 Life Extension Program was authorized by Congress in 1994 to enhance the warhead’s structure and extend its shelf life by 30 years, according to the Globe-News. Pantex delivered the first rebuilt W87 warhead to the U.S. Defense Department in 1999. “This was a priority at Pantex. The entire project team and their ability to work together at Pantex and other sites made it possible to complete this project,” Jeff Yarbrough, manufacturing division manager for contractor BWXT Pantex, said in a statement. “The completion of this LEP is a success for the entire weapons complex.” The program was not without its troubles. The U.S. General Accounting Office reported in 2000 that it was two years behind schedule and had increased in cost by $300 million, according to the Globe-News. The W-87 is the first of four planned Life Extension Programs for U.S. nuclear warheads, according to the Globe-News. Work on the W-80 warhead, designed to be carried on a cruise missile launched from an attack submarine or a bomber, is expected to begin in 2006, as is work on the B-61 bomb carried on the B-52 or B-2 bomber. The program in 2007 is set to begin improving the W-76 warhead, which is carried on the Trident 2 missile, according to congressional reports (Jim McBride, Amarillo Globe-News, Nov. 20).
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