A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was photographed over Owens Valley, California, on Oct. 29 carrying two units of an unidentified weapon that bear a striking resemblance to public renderings of the AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff nuclear cruise missile, The Aviationist reported.
The bomber carried classic orange test markings and was captured by aviation photographer Ian Recchio, who provided the images and a first-hand account to 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. 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,” Recchio said in an email to The Aviationist.
Close inspection of the photographs shows two weapon units mounted on the outer attachment points of a Multiple Ejector Rack, a carriage system the B-52H uses to carry multiple types of ordnance. Visible features on both units include an inverted T tail with three surfaces, fold-out wings beneath the weapon body, and a wedge-shaped profile at the nose and tail. Those characteristics closely match the only public rendering of the AGM-181A LRSO, the Air Force’s planned next-generation stealth nuclear cruise missile intended to replace the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile.
The Aviationist and the photographer noted a resemblance to other stand-off weapons such as the AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon, but they said several details do not match the JSOW, including the nose shape, wing covers and cruciform tail surfaces. The images, the report said, could represent early sightings of a secretive program, but the identity of the ordnance could not be independently confirmed at the time of publication.
The presence of test markings suggests a developmental or evaluation flight rather than routine operational deployment. The aircraft was described as painted with the orange markings associated with test aircraft, but other identifying details were not visible in the photographs. The attachments were secured to the outer MER stations, which can accommodate up to six weapons, indicating the bomber was configured to demonstrate carriage rather than full operational load-out.
The AGM-181A LRSO is a top priority for the Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command and has been in secretive flight testing for several years. LRSO is designed to replace the AGM-86B ALCM and is to be paired with the updated W80-4 thermonuclear warhead. The program is part of a broader Long Range Strike family of systems that includes the B-21 and related command, control and support assets.
The Aviationist’s coverage and the photographer’s images raise two core uncertainties that observers will watch closely: whether the photographed ordnance is an LRSO prototype or another developmental munition, and whether the flight represents a step in a deliberate, public test campaign or an isolated test sortie. The reporting makes clear that the images alone do not constitute independent confirmation of identity.
If the images do depict an LRSO prototype, the sighting would indicate progress in flight testing and carriage validation ahead of wider program milestones.
