Raytheon Secures $2 Billion Deal for Next-Gen Long-Range Nuclear Missiles
This week, the Pentagon granted Raytheon a contract valued at up to $2 billion for the development of a new nuclear cruise missile.
The agreement, revealed on Thursday, entails the creation of the new munitions by 2027, by which time a maiden flight could take place and a production decision might be finalized.
This series of air-launched Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) missiles is set to replace the Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) or AGM-86, which was initially deployed in 1982.
“The ALCM was introduced in the early 1980s with a designed lifespan of 10 years,” stated the Air Force on Thursday in an official announcement.
The Air Force has indicated plans to acquire up to 1,000 LRSO systems, and the agreement disclosed by the Defense Department on Thursday suggests that enhancing the U.S. military’s capacity to deploy nuclear munitions remains a top priority for the Pentagon, according to Air Force Magazine.
The missiles are expected to be compatible with the B-52 and the forthcoming B-21 bombers, being a crucial component of the U.S. military’s nuclear triad strategy, which involves the ability to launch nuclear missiles from land, sea, and aerial platforms.
Raytheon emerged as the “sole source contractor” for this highly classified initiative during the Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction [TMRR] phase back in April.
The contract announcement coincides with the Defense Department’s ongoing Nuclear Posture Review, the fifth of its kind since 1994, aimed at defining the role nuclear weaponry should play in the U.S. security strategy.
