A B-52 with test markings was spotted carrying a mysterious payload that resembles the rendering of the AGM-181 LRSO.
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress has been captured while flying over the Owens Valley, California, with two units of an unidentified weapon under its right wing. The aircraft is painted with the classic orange markings associated to test aircraft, although other identifying details cannot be seen.
The photos
The bomber was captured on Oct. 29, 2025, by aviation photographer @lookunderocks, who kindly allowed us to use the photo in this article. In an email to The Aviationist, he provided some details:
“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. 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.”
Upon close inspection, the ordinance appears indeed interesting. Some noticeable details which can be spotted on both units of the weapon are the inverted T tail with three surfaces, the fold-out wings below the weapon’s body and a wedge-like profile both at the nose and tail.
Those details bear a very close resemblance to the only public rendering of the AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO), the Air Force’s next-gen stealth nuclear cruise missile that is set to replace the older AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). These could very well be the very first images of the secretive weapon, however it is important to highlight that its identity cannot be independently confirmed at this time.
The weapons are installed on the outer attachment points of a Multiple Ejector Rack (MER), which can hold up to six weapons. The MER is also used by the B-52H to carry multiple types of ordinance.
We also checked for a possible resemblance of this unidentified weapon to the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW), however there are some details which do not match. Among these are the shape of the nose, the cover on part of the wings and the cruciform tail surfaces.
The rendering
The rendering published on Jun. 9, 2025, is the first to publicly show the new weapon. However, given the secrecy of the program, it should not be given for granted that the rendering is fully accurate, as some features might have been altered for security reasons.
For once, the air inlet can’t be seen in the rendering, and this could be due to the inlet being on the top side or completely removed from the image as it is one of the weapon’s critical features. While not much is known about the LRSO’s capabilities, the weapon is expected to be propelled to subsonic speeds by an air-breathing engine.
The rendering shows that the AGM-181 has a trapezoidal shape, with a wedge-like profile both at the nose and tail. Similarly to the weapon it will replace, the LRSO is equipped with folding wings, as well as a vertical tail on the bottom side and slightly canted horizonal tail planes.
The AGM-181 LRSO
The AGM-181 Long Range Standoff (LRSO) Cruise Missile is a long range survivable standoff weapon capable of delivering lethal nuclear effects on strategic targets, which will replace the currently fielded AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). The LRSO will be integrated on both the B-52 Stratofortress and B-21 Raider bomber aircraft.
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 LRSO is a priority for the Air Force as the U.S. is working to modernize its nuclear triad, and has been defined as a critical capability for the B-21 Raider. The new stealth bomber is set to be equipped with three nuclear weapons: the AGM-181 LRSO cruise missile and the B61-12 and B61-13 bombs, with the latter used exclusively by the Raider.
As the weapon is being tested in secret, last year the Air Force’s then Service Acquisition Executive Andrew Hunter told the Senate Committee on Armed Services that the program is 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,” said Hunter.
In 2020, the Air Force selected Raytheon as the prime contractor for the program and, a year later, LRSO entered Engineering, Manufacturing, and Development (EMD). In 2022, it was revealed that LRSO conducted nine successful major flight tests demonstrating its ability to safely separate from the B-52H aircraft, as well as weapon flight surface deployment, engine operations, flight control actuations and controlled flight.
Initially, the Air Force and Congress have also been discussing potential acquisition of conventionally armed variants of the missile. However, it was later decide to not pursue a conventional warhead version of the LRSO, with the Air Force now looking to the AGM-158B JASSM-ER (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range) and the AGM-158D JASSM-XR (JASSM-Extreme Range) to fill the requirement for a conventional air-launched cruise missile.
The Air Force mentioned in its fact sheets that a total of 1,715 of AGM-86B missiles were produced, although in 2007 the service announced the decision to reduce the inventory to 528 missiles. The weapons are set to be retired by 2030, replaced by approximatively 1,020 AGM-181s, according to The War Zone, quoting a Pentagon acquisition report.
In late 2022, the program’s total cost was estimated in about $16 billion, with the most recent estimates mentioning a cost per unit of about $14 million, instead of the expected $10 million, as reported in 2024 by Air and Space Forces Magazine. A low-rate initial production decision is expected in fiscal year 2027.
Thanks to @lookunderocks for sharing the photos with us, make sure to follow on Instagram for more!
