A POWERFUL nuclear weapon that’s 24 times stronger than the bomb that killed hundreds of thousands of people at Hiroshima is underway.

The United States has ramped up production of the bone-chilling B61-13 bomb seven months ahead of schedule in an “aggressive” move to keep up with global powers.

Last week, Sandia National Laboratories announced that the production of these latest weapons is being fast-tracked under “innovative program planning.”

The program is now allowing the project to be completed 25% faster than initially scheduled. 

The B61-13 is the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s answer to its 2023 task of building a new nuclear gravity bomb, Interesting Engineering reported. 

The gravity bomb, which is dropped from a plane rather than being self-propelled, cost $92 million to develop.

However, this weapon will be equipped with a tail kit that can pilot it straight to a target, New Atlas reported.

Sandia National Laboratories’ new bomb builds off of the B61-7 bomb and can yield 10 to 360 kilotons, allowing it to be thrown at different targets without damaging other areas.

The B61-13’s high maximum yield makes it 24 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. 

The Hiroshima bomb yielded between 12 to 18 kilotons, whereas the Nagasaki bomb yielded 18 to 23 kilotons.

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