Unlike with the other fighters including the F-15 and F-16, the B61-12 will be carried internally in the F-35, and in August began the first in a series of test flights that will end with a full weapons systems demonstration later this year.
The improvements to the already-advanced F-35 will boost the combat capability of the stealth fighter jet. These improvements will allow it to penetrate hostile airspace without warning and possibly be a part of the United States’ nuclear triad.