U.S. B-52 Bomber spotted carrying possible next generation nuclear cruise missile
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
A U.S. Air Force B-52H on a routine test profile over California’s Owens Valley was photographed carrying two wedge-shaped stores that closely match the public rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff missile. If confirmed, the sighting suggests LRSO flight activity is progressing on the B-52 ahead of low-rate production later this decade, reinforcing the airborne leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.The images provided to The Aviationist by aviation observer Ian Recchio, and described in an initial article published here, show a B-52H Stratofortress in high-visibility test markings carrying a pair of identical stores on the right wing over Owens Valley on Oct. 29. The outlines, including a pronounced wedge forebody and an inverted-T empennage with folding wings stowed ventrally, are consistent with the only official rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff missile released by the Air Force in June. While artist imagery can omit or mask features, the photographed profile lacks a visible inlet similar to the rendering, a detail that has been noted since the release. The Air Force named Raytheon as LRSO prime during the competitive phase, awarded Engineering and Manufacturing Development in 2021, and continues to target B-52 and B-21 integration around the turn of the decade.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The photos show two stores mounted on the outer positions of a Multiple Ejector Rack, a configuration the B-52H uses for grouped carriage during trials. (Picture source: Instagram channel @lookunderocks)
The B-52H is a long-range heavy bomber powered by eight TF33 engines, able to cruise at Mach 0.84 and reach 50,000 ft, with a payload of about 31.5 tons and an unrefueled range exceeding 8,800 miles. Its five-person crew employs electro-optical sensors, FLIR, and advanced targeting pods, complemented by widespread use of NVGs for flight safety and nighttime target acquisition. In conventional roles, it covers strategic attack, close air support, interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime missions, including wide-area ocean surveillance and mine-laying. On the weapons side, the H model carries the full set of guided bombs and cruise missiles and can load up to 20 ALCMs, making it a natural platform for testing low-signature stand-off munitions.
The photos show two stores mounted on the outer positions of a Multiple Ejector Rack, a configuration the B-52H uses for grouped carriage during trials. Each store displays a pronounced wedge-type forebody and afterbody, folding wings stowed along the underside, and an inverted T tail with three surfaces. The profile clearly aligns with the only public rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff released in June 2025, with the usual caution that official imagery for a classified program often omits sensitive elements. No air inlet is visible in the rendering or the air-to-ground photos, consistent with a dorsal intake or one that is masked. The shape does not match the AGM-154 JSOW, notably in the nose, wing covers, and cruciform tail. At this stage, the indicators point to LRSO rather than an in-service conventional stand-off munition.
After a competitive YAGM-180/181 phase, the U.S. Air Force selected Raytheon as prime in 2020 and awarded the EMD contract in 2021. In 2022, a B-52 campaign validated separation, surface deployment, engine start, and navigation, followed by CDR in March 2023. Low-rate initial production (Milestone C) is targeted for the third quarter of FY2027, with initial capability expected around 2029–2030. The acquisition plan mentions about 1,087 missiles, including 67 for testing, with a unit cost migrating from roughly 10 to 13–14 million dollars, an overall program cost of nearly 16 billion dollars, and sustainment projected over three decades. The selected architecture is modular and open, supported by digital engineering to facilitate future insertions, logistics, and cost control.
The AGM-181A is a very-long-range, subsonic, air-breathing nuclear cruise missile designed to operate under EMCON in degraded-GPS and dense electronic warfare conditions. The airframe combines a trapezoidal fuselage, a wedge-shaped nose and tail, folding wings, and a ventral tail. Propulsion is cited as a Williams F107-WI-106 turbofan, with a range exceeding 2,500 km according to public indications. The payload is exclusively the W80-4 warhead with selectable yields of about 5 or 150 kilotons, modernized for safety and reliability. No conventional variant is being pursued, with JASSM-ER and JASSM-XR covering that requirement. Integration is planned on the upgraded B-52 and the B-21, sustaining the airborne leg of the triad as AGM-86B ALCMs retire.
LRSO is intended to preserve a nuclear option outside the reach of modern IADS, where survivability depends on range, signature control, and routing flexibility rather than speed. In practice, the B-52H or B-21 remains beyond the most lethal SAM envelopes, maintains EMCON to limit emissions, and follows routes that exploit terrain masking and radar coverage gaps. The result is a wider strike geometry, added options on the recognized maritime picture and common operational picture, and interoperability with the broader ATO construct, from MALE sensors to space relays and maritime inputs. For the B-52H, the pairing provides an offset against modernized defenses without requiring penetration with unguided bombs. For the B-21, it extends an already low signature with a munition that can be launched from a different axis. Two platforms, a shared architecture, and tactics already established in the community.
A few days after Moscow’s staged step in Burevestnik testing, U.S. strategic aviation appears in daylight over a well-used corridor with what looks like its future stand-off missile. Nuclear forces also communicate through testing rhythms and measured public visibility. If this is LRSO on the wing of a test-coded B-52H, the message is straightforward: the ALCM successor is entering steady flight activity with two carrier platforms in view. For allies, the sequence indicates continuity of deterrent coverage into the 2030s. For competitors, it underlines that the air-delivered leg adjusts its reach and posture without telegraphing axes or requiring penetration in every scenario. In a crowded strategic environment, that measured clarity carries weight.
{loadposition bannertop}
{loadposition sidebarpub}
A U.S. Air Force B-52H on a routine test profile over California’s Owens Valley was photographed carrying two wedge-shaped stores that closely match the public rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff missile. If confirmed, the sighting suggests LRSO flight activity is progressing on the B-52 ahead of low-rate production later this decade, reinforcing the airborne leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
The images provided to The Aviationist by aviation observer Ian Recchio, and described in an initial article published here, show a B-52H Stratofortress in high-visibility test markings carrying a pair of identical stores on the right wing over Owens Valley on Oct. 29. The outlines, including a pronounced wedge forebody and an inverted-T empennage with folding wings stowed ventrally, are consistent with the only official rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff missile released by the Air Force in June. While artist imagery can omit or mask features, the photographed profile lacks a visible inlet similar to the rendering, a detail that has been noted since the release. The Air Force named Raytheon as LRSO prime during the competitive phase, awarded Engineering and Manufacturing Development in 2021, and continues to target B-52 and B-21 integration around the turn of the decade.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The photos show two stores mounted on the outer positions of a Multiple Ejector Rack, a configuration the B-52H uses for grouped carriage during trials. (Picture source: Instagram channel @lookunderocks)
The B-52H is a long-range heavy bomber powered by eight TF33 engines, able to cruise at Mach 0.84 and reach 50,000 ft, with a payload of about 31.5 tons and an unrefueled range exceeding 8,800 miles. Its five-person crew employs electro-optical sensors, FLIR, and advanced targeting pods, complemented by widespread use of NVGs for flight safety and nighttime target acquisition. In conventional roles, it covers strategic attack, close air support, interdiction, offensive counter-air, and maritime missions, including wide-area ocean surveillance and mine-laying. On the weapons side, the H model carries the full set of guided bombs and cruise missiles and can load up to 20 ALCMs, making it a natural platform for testing low-signature stand-off munitions.
The photos show two stores mounted on the outer positions of a Multiple Ejector Rack, a configuration the B-52H uses for grouped carriage during trials. Each store displays a pronounced wedge-type forebody and afterbody, folding wings stowed along the underside, and an inverted T tail with three surfaces. The profile clearly aligns with the only public rendering of the AGM-181A Long Range Standoff released in June 2025, with the usual caution that official imagery for a classified program often omits sensitive elements. No air inlet is visible in the rendering or the air-to-ground photos, consistent with a dorsal intake or one that is masked. The shape does not match the AGM-154 JSOW, notably in the nose, wing covers, and cruciform tail. At this stage, the indicators point to LRSO rather than an in-service conventional stand-off munition.
After a competitive YAGM-180/181 phase, the U.S. Air Force selected Raytheon as prime in 2020 and awarded the EMD contract in 2021. In 2022, a B-52 campaign validated separation, surface deployment, engine start, and navigation, followed by CDR in March 2023. Low-rate initial production (Milestone C) is targeted for the third quarter of FY2027, with initial capability expected around 2029–2030. The acquisition plan mentions about 1,087 missiles, including 67 for testing, with a unit cost migrating from roughly 10 to 13–14 million dollars, an overall program cost of nearly 16 billion dollars, and sustainment projected over three decades. The selected architecture is modular and open, supported by digital engineering to facilitate future insertions, logistics, and cost control.
The AGM-181A is a very-long-range, subsonic, air-breathing nuclear cruise missile designed to operate under EMCON in degraded-GPS and dense electronic warfare conditions. The airframe combines a trapezoidal fuselage, a wedge-shaped nose and tail, folding wings, and a ventral tail. Propulsion is cited as a Williams F107-WI-106 turbofan, with a range exceeding 2,500 km according to public indications. The payload is exclusively the W80-4 warhead with selectable yields of about 5 or 150 kilotons, modernized for safety and reliability. No conventional variant is being pursued, with JASSM-ER and JASSM-XR covering that requirement. Integration is planned on the upgraded B-52 and the B-21, sustaining the airborne leg of the triad as AGM-86B ALCMs retire.
LRSO is intended to preserve a nuclear option outside the reach of modern IADS, where survivability depends on range, signature control, and routing flexibility rather than speed. In practice, the B-52H or B-21 remains beyond the most lethal SAM envelopes, maintains EMCON to limit emissions, and follows routes that exploit terrain masking and radar coverage gaps. The result is a wider strike geometry, added options on the recognized maritime picture and common operational picture, and interoperability with the broader ATO construct, from MALE sensors to space relays and maritime inputs. For the B-52H, the pairing provides an offset against modernized defenses without requiring penetration with unguided bombs. For the B-21, it extends an already low signature with a munition that can be launched from a different axis. Two platforms, a shared architecture, and tactics already established in the community.
A few days after Moscow’s staged step in Burevestnik testing, U.S. strategic aviation appears in daylight over a well-used corridor with what looks like its future stand-off missile. Nuclear forces also communicate through testing rhythms and measured public visibility. If this is LRSO on the wing of a test-coded B-52H, the message is straightforward: the ALCM successor is entering steady flight activity with two carrier platforms in view. For allies, the sequence indicates continuity of deterrent coverage into the 2030s. For competitors, it underlines that the air-delivered leg adjusts its reach and posture without telegraphing axes or requiring penetration in every scenario. In a crowded strategic environment, that measured clarity carries weight.
