Key Points and Summary – A B-52H bomber, callsign “Torch52,” was recently photographed by an aviation spotter over California carrying a “mysterious payload” that strongly resembles the new AGM-181 LRSO (Long-Range Standoff) stealth nuclear cruise missile.
-This sighting is one of the first in-the-wild looks at the $16 billion weapon, which is designed to penetrate advanced air defenses and replace the Cold War-era AGM-86B ALCM.
Military service members, veterans, and citizens of Guam gathered for the Memorial Day Commemoration at the Guam Veterans Cemetery. The Ceremony consisted of a fly over from a B-52H Stratofortress, a musical performance from the Guam Territorial Band & Cantate, guest speaking from the honorable Eddie Baza Calvo, a Fallen Soldier Gravesite Tribute, and the playing of Taps. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Jacob Snouffer/Released)
A B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, completes refueling behind a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 134th Air Refueling Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard, during exercise Saber Guardian 19, June 17, 2019. The bombers participated in three exercises in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, providing opportunities for training with our allies and partners. Strategic bomber missions enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe. The USEUCOM, NATO exercise promotes regional stability and security while increasing readiness, strengthening partner capabilities and fostering trust. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Gagnon)
-The new missile is a “top priority” for the B-52 fleet, which is itself undergoing a massive B-52J upgrade (new radar, new engines) that the GAO reports is running three years behind schedule.
What is the B-52H Bomber Carrying? A Mystery Payload
An Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was spotted recently carrying a “mysterious payload,” which may have been the next stealth nuclear cruise missile.
According to The Aviationist, a B-52 that sported “test markings was spotted carrying a mysterious payload that resembles the rendering of the AGM-181 LRSO, the Air Force’s next-gen stealth nuclear cruise missile.”
The flight was spotted over Owens Valley, Calif., with two units of whatever the weapon was.
Aviation photographer Ian Recchio took the photo and shared it with The Aviationist.
“I was plane spotting with a friend @661aviation in the Owens Valley when we heard ‘Torch52’ entering the low-level at ‘point Alpha’ on the scanner,” Recchio told the publication.
“It’s always a treat to see a heavy down low, but by the time Torch had reached our position, it had climbed to about 5,000 feet, still low enough and large enough to get a decent photograph. We snapped a few images, which revealed some interesting ordinance attached to one of the weapons pylons.”
The Aviationist also wrote about what the new weapon system can do.
“The LRSO weapon system will be capable of penetrating and surviving advanced Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) from significant standoff ranges to prosecute strategic targets in support of the Air Force’s global attack capability and strategic deterrence core function,” the site reported.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flies within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Nov. 15, 2024. The B-52H provides strategic options and flexibility to U.S. and coalition senior leaders with the aircraft’s ability to employ a wide range of weapons with precision and deliver a decisive response to adversaries who threaten peace and security across the region. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The report also quoted then-Air Force Service Acquisition Executive Andrew Hunter as telling the Senate Committee on Armed Services last year that the system was on track.
“It is tracking well, the program is definitely on track to meet its timeline and deliver to the warfighter any day, and we’re also doing well on cost for that program as well,” Hunter said.
What’s That Missile?
As reported by The War Zone back in June, the AGM-181 Long-Range Standoff made its debut then. It appears that the missile spotted late last month is the same thing.
Described by TWZ as “a top priority for the Air Force and its Global Strike Command,” the AGM-181 was developed as a successor to the Cold War-era AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM).
“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,” TWZ wrote in June.
“The AGM-129 featured a similar arrangement, although with a differently shaped vertical tail. The missile appears to have a trapezoidal fuselage cross-section design with a wedge-like nose. The wing design is also similar to that of the JASSM.
Raytheon built the new system, which will be carried by both the B-52 and the new B-21 Raider. The story noted that the LRSO has been in development for several years and is known to feature the W80-4 thermonuclear warhead.
And it’s thought to be expensive.
“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,” per a Pentagon report obtained by TWZ in 2023. “Sustaining the missiles over a 30-year lifespan is expected to cost another $7 billion or so.”
TWZ also reported that plans for a conventional variant of the LRSO have been dropped. Instead, the Aviationist said, the Air Force is looking at the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range) and the AGM-158D JASSM-XR (JASSM-Extreme Range) for conventional use.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron flies within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Nov. 15, 2024. The B-52H provides strategic options and flexibility to U.S. and coalition senior leaders with the aircraft’s ability to employ a wide range of weapons with precision and deliver a decisive response to adversaries who threaten peace and security across the region. (U.S. Air Force photo)
The B-52’s Own Upgrades
In June 2024, The War Zone wrote and produced a video about planned upgrades to the B-52.
“It’s big, it’s loud, and it’s smoky,” the report said of the aircraft that’s been around since the early 1960s. “It’s also incredibly old.” But that doesn’t mean it’s on its way out.
“The U.S. Air Force has laid out a host of upgrades that will see a jet designed with slide rules become a networked, high-tech, multi-role, long-range platform of the future…and potentially serving for over a century,” they said.
The upgraded version will be called the B-52J.
In late 2024, Air and Space Forces reported on the status of those upgrades, finding that while the new engine for the bomber, the Rolls-Royce F-130, had passed design review, there were delays for some of the other planned upgrades, which are up to three years behind schedule.
Rolls-Royce, known for its luxury cars and also heavily involved in defense engines, made the announcement late last year.
“This milestone is the culmination of over two years of detailed design work and close collaboration between teams at Rolls-Royce, the Air Force, and Boeing,” the company said. “The engine testing program is on track to begin altitude testing in February 2025 at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee.”
Citing a GAO report, Air and Space Forces reported that the other upgrades are behind schedule, something GAO has attributed to the Air Force “underestimating the level of funding” for the project.
“The overall B-52J upgrade—which includes new radars, new engine pylons, internal wiring, a digital backbone, communications, navigation, other improvements, and overall integration—is years behind schedule, and the Government Accountability Office now projects that initial operational capability, originally expected in 2030, will now come in 2033.”
Air and Space Forces reported in August of this year that both the new radar for the B-52 and the second B-21 Raider would enter flight-testing “soon.” In fact, the new B-21 Raider is already in the sky.
Lt. Gen. Andrew J. Gebara, deputy chief of staff for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, said that at an event with AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, as reported by Air and Space Forces.
“I believe that we are very close to getting that first radar to Edwards Air Force Base to begin flight test,” Gebara said of the B-52’s upgraded radar hardware. “I don’t have a specific date for you today, but I believe that is turning a corner, and I’m very eager, as a former B-52 pilot, very eager to see that get underway.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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