
A group opposed to basing the Air Force's F-35 fighter jet in Burlington is hosting forums to spread its message.
Citizens Against Nuclear Bombers in Vermont will meet at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Burlington Friday night at 7 p.m. Two more events are Saturday in Middlebury and Waterbury.
The group opposes basing the jets at the Vermont Air National Guard base they claim they could someday carry nuclear weapons. The Air Force says the jets coming to Vermont are not currently capable of that.
Defense analyst Pierre Sprey says the Air Force has nuclear bombs that now fit smaller jets. "This one is a basically completely new redesign shrunk down to fit into the bomb bay of the F-35. That makes the F-35 a very specialized nuclear bomber," he said.
The jets are scheduled to begin arriving in Vermont in September.
https://www.wcax.com/content/news/F-35- ... 05231.html
I think someone forgot to tell them that the F-16s that are based in Vermont today can also carry the same bombs that the F-35 will be able to, specifically the B-61 that was first produced in 1968. The F-16 can also carry the B-83 nuclear bomb.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B61_nuclear_bomb
Also, the B-61 was not "shrunk down" to fit in the F-35, it was given a new GPS guided tail-kit. Basically a nuclear JDAM.
Here is a good read on the subject of the F-35 and the B-61
http://www.airforcemag.com/MagazineArch ... 10nato.pdf
0710nato.pdf
- Nukes for NATO
- (271.86 KiB) Downloaded 200 times
"The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese."