Plutonium Pits

Plutonium pits are a critical core component of a nuclear weapon. During the surveillance process, which is a thorough examination, a nuclear weapon is taken apart and tests are run on its components.

Often the examination is so thorough that the pit is destroyed. In order for this weapon to reenter the stockpile, a replacement pit is needed.

NNSA did not have the capability to manufacture replacement pits for close to 15 years. For the W88 warhead, this was a concern because there were not enough W88 pits to replace ones that were destroyed during the surveillance process.

In 2007, NNSA reacquired its ability to manufacture replacement pits, which is now done at Los Alamos National Laboratory.