The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has served the US Air Force honorably since 1955.
One of the US Air Force’s oldest bombers was recently spotted carrying the service’s next-generation nuclear cruise missile. The B-52H Stratofortress was photographed while flying over the Owens Valley, California, with the weapon underneath its right wing. While some reports indicate the weapon is “unidentifiable,” others have confirmed it to be the new AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off (LRSO) missile.
The images were captured by aviation photographer Ryan Watamura earlier this month. When describing the moment to the aviation enthusiast magazine The Aviationist, Watamura noted that “I’d seen this B-52 the week before, so I was excited to hear it call in. TORCH checked into the Sidewinder Low Level mid-afternoon and entered the route at 390 kt, 2,000 ft. It rolled through with one external pylon loaded with the new weapon(s), a perfect cap to a day spent chasing passes and collecting light.”
When the Air Force’s new missile is officially introduced into service upon completing testing, it is poised to replace the older AGM-68B Air-Launched Cruise Missile. Since both Beijing and Moscow are working to grow their own respective atomic arsenals, the Air Force’s newest missile addition will be paramount for national security.
America’s Venerable B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing Stratofortress has served the US Air Force honorably since 1955. This legendary subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber may even fly for a full century equipped with a slew of enhancements. The Stratofortress was conceptualized at the tail end of World War II to fulfill the need for a bomber capable of flying long ranges without needing to rely on intermediate bases controlled by foreign nations. All the big-name manufacturers at the time, including Boeing, Consolidated Aircraft, and Glenn L. Marin Company, submitted proposals. In the end, Boeing’s XB-52 was selected as the winner. When the B-52 finally took to the skies with the Air Force, the Cold War between the United States and the USSR was arguably at its peak. The B-52’s ability to reach high subsonic speeds at great altitudes made the platform a true Cold War icon symbolizing America’s top deterrent.
Over the years, the B-52 has undergone multiple facelifts in order to feature the latest and greatest technologies available. Perhaps the most significant improvement incorporated into the bomber has been its internal weapons bay upgrade, which allows the bomber to carry additional joint-air-to-surface standoff missiles. The Air Force’s upcoming AGM-181 Long Range Standoff Weapon (LRSO) cruise missile will make the decades-old bomber even more relevant. As detailed by The Aviationist, the new weapon will be capable of delivering nuclear effects on strategic targets. More specifically, “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.”
Maintaining a robust nuclear triad strategy is clearly being prioritized by the Trump administration. Earlier this month, the United States launched its latest Minuteman doomsday missile in a test fire.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Shutterstock.
