Latest news with #AGM-86B
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
US unveils city-destroying nuclear missile after years of secrecy
By Dean Murray The United States has unveiled its city-destroying nuclear cruise missile after years of secret development. The first image of the AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) reveals a sleek, stealthy weapon designed to evade modern air defenses, with a range said to exceed 1,500 miles. It is thought the missile will have an adjustable nuclear yield between 5–150 kilotons, allowing uses ranging from tactical effect to destroying cities. A yield of 150 kilotons is 10 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August 1945. The LRSO is set to replace the Cold War-era AGM-86B and will be carried by both the forthcoming $585m B-21 Raider and upgraded B-52 bombers. Air Force officials confirmed that the LRSO has already undergone a series of successful flight tests is set for frontline service by 2030. The post US unveils city-destroying nuclear missile after years of secrecy appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
First Glimpse Of Air Force's New Stealth Nuclear Cruise Missile
After years of development, we have gotten our first look at what the USAF's new AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear-armed cruise missile could actually look like. The program is a top priority for the Air Force and its Global Strike Command. LRSO is set to replace America's only nuclear-armed cruise missile in operation today, the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), which has served since the twilight of the Cold War. The AGM-86B missile has even remained in service long after the more advanced and stealthy AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) was retired after just over two decades of service (1990-2012). You can read all about the AGM-129 and the AGM-86B in this past feature. Most notably from this first unclassified render, the LRSO features an inverted tail very similar to the conventionally-armed AGM-158 JASSM stealthy air-launched cruise missile. The AGM-129 featured a similar arrangement, although with a differently shaped vertical tail. The missile looks like it has a trapezoidal fuselage cross-section design with a wedge-like nose. The wing design is also similar to JASSM. We see no air inlet in the concept rendering, which could be for security reasons, considering the inlet design is often a closely guarded feature on stealthy flying machines, or it could be located on the top of the missile. We also can't say with any certainty how accurate this official rendering is of the actual design, but it is a given that some features will be omitted or even misleading for an initial public release. The airborne leg is already the most flexible of America's nuclear triad. Bombers can be positioned anywhere around the globe, both in the air and forward deployed on the ground. They can also be rapidly recalled as needed, signalling de-escalation. This is a critical tool for strategic messaging that could potentially avert a nuclear holocaust. The nuclear-armed cruise missile component of this capability allows for standoff attacks that present a real challenge for traditional air defenses and cannot be readily identified by ballistic missile-focused early warning architectures. So, as a result, in this new age of so-called 'great power competition,' with the AGM-129 already retired from service and the AGM-86B growing very old and becoming questionably survivable, a new, more capable and resilient long-range nuclear-tipped cruise missile was deemed necessary. This became the AGM-181A LRSO. This new weapon system, built by Raytheon, will be carried by both the new B-21 Raider and the venerable B-52 Stratofortress. The B-52 is also set to be deeply upgraded, overall, as you can learn more about here. Otherwise, little is known about the LRSO's capabilities as the program remains highly classified in many respects. Still, one can expect a subsonic missile with greater range than its predecessors that features a very tough-to-detect and track airframe and engine combination. Strict emissions control and the ability to navigate in any environment, including one where access to GPS is degraded or denied, and dense electronic warfare is the norm, will be critical. Autonomously reacting to threats in its area to better ensure its best path to its target will also likely be a feature. Combined, these elements will offer the missile and its launch platform more employment options and far greater survivability, especially as very long-range integrated air defenses mature at a rapid pace. LRSO has been in secretive flight testing for years now, and it will feature the updated W80-4 thermonuclear warhead. The weapon is also part of the larger Long Range Strike family of systems, which includes the B-21 as its centerpiece, as well as new command and control, space-based support assets, weapons, communications, and other technologies, possibly including classified fixed-wing companion aircraft. These capabilities will work to become something greater than the sum of their parts in order to achieve success in a future combat environment that will be far more threatening than any in the past. When it comes to the price tag, as we noted in a previous report from 2023: 'The Pentagon acquisition report does peg the estimated LRSO program acquisition cost, as of December 2022 and based on the expected purchase of 1,020 missiles in total, at just over $16 billion. Sustaining the missiles over a 30-year lifespan is expected to cost another $7 billion or so.' More current estimates put the cost of LRSO at around $14M each. Previous plans to make a conventionally-armed variant of the LRSO seem to have been dropped, with further extrapolations of the popular AGM-158 JASSM series of air-launched stealthy cruise missiles filling that role. If this first rendering is any indication, LRSO has moved well forward in its development, and we are likely to hear more about it and finally see it in full in the not-too-distant future. The missile has been expected to begin entering operational service toward the end of the decade. Then again, few programs are safe just yet as this new administration looks to manifest its priorities in its first defense budget, which we should be seeing in full any time now. Contact the author: Tyler@
Newsweek
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Flexes Nuclear Weapons Forces
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States nuclear forces validated the readiness and capability of bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles by conducting an exercise and a test earlier this month. Why It Matters Official data shows that the U.S. has 3,748 warheads in its nuclear arsenal as of September 2023, which will be equipped on land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear-capable bombers and fighter jets. The U.S. military regularly tests its nuclear forces to ensure that they are ready to carry out missions. In February, a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, which was unarmed but nuclear-capable, was launched from California over the Pacific Ocean for a test launch. The recent American nuclear exercise and test events come as the U.S. and Iran held indirect nuclear talks amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Russia and China continue modernizing their nuclear capabilities, and North Korea has said no to full denuclearization. An unarmed U.S. Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on February 19, 2025. An unarmed U.S. Air Force Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on February 19, 2025. Airman 1st Class Olga Houtsma/U.S. Space Force What To Know The U.S. Air Force 2nd Bomb Wing and 5th Bomb Wing, operators of the nuclear-capable B-52H bombers, recently participated in Exercise Prairie Vigilance 25-1 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, according to a press release from the 5th Bomb Wing on Monday. This routine exercise aimed to bolster the safety, security, and reliability of American bomber-based strategic deterrence. Such regularly planned exercises are not scheduled or held in response to any specific geopolitical conditions or situations, the press release said. An official released photo shows U.S. airmen conducting convoy operations with missiles on April 11 during the drill. Each B-52H bomber can carry up to 20 nuclear-armed AGM-86B air-launched cruise missiles, according to a report by the Federation of American Scientists. U.S. airmen conduct convoy operations during Exercise Prairie Vigilance 25-1 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on April 11, 2025. U.S. airmen conduct convoy operations during Exercise Prairie Vigilance 25-1 at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota on April 11, 2025. Senior Airman Kendra A. Ransum/U.S. Air Force Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force 625th Strategic Operations Squadron, which is responsible for continuous, rapid, accurate, and survivable intercontinental ballistic missile operations, conducted a Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman test at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. This event, also known as the Giant Pace, was completed on April 9. Unlike the test launch in February, it did not involve firing the nuclear missile. It is used for testing the Airborne Launch Control System operating aboard the U.S. Navy E-6B aircraft. The E-6B, a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft, provides "survivable, reliable and endurable" airborne nuclear command, control, and communications for the president, defense secretary, and the U.S. Strategic Command. The airborne control system serves as an alternate means of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles if command centers on the ground are compromised, guaranteeing that U.S. nuclear command and control can survive "unexpected threats," the press release said. There are 76 B-52H bombers in service, the Federation of American Scientists said, but only 46 aircraft can be armed with nuclear cruise missiles. A total of 400 Minuteman III missiles are deployed in silos across Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana. U.S. airmen assigned to the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron board a U.S. Navy E-6B aircraft prior to a Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman test at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on April 9, 2025. U.S. airmen assigned to the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron board a U.S. Navy E-6B aircraft prior to a Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman test at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on April 9, 2025. Chad Watkins/U.S. Air Force What People Are Saying The U.S. Air Force 5th Bomb Wing: "Exercises like [Prairie Vigilance 25-1] are critical to ensuring U.S. Strategic Command forces remain organized, trained and equipped to carry out daily operations and to respond effectively to emerging threats worldwide when needed." The U.S. 8th Air Force and the Joint-Global Strike Operations Center: "Simulated Electronic Launch Minuteman] tests do not happen overnight nor are they in response to anything occurring in world, instead it takes up to five years to plan a single test. It requires coordination between numerous organizations." The Pentagon said in a fact sheet: "For more than six decades, the United States has emphasized the need for a nuclear force that credibly deters adversaries, assures allies and partners, achieves U.S. objectives should deterrence fail, and hedges against uncertain threats." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether other U.S. nuclear units will conduct any exercises or tests, as President Donald Trump has claimed that he is in favor of denuclearization among global powers, saying, "It would be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons."
