WASHINGTON — U.S. Strategic Command may accelerate and increase its buys of Raytheon-made AGM-181 Long Range Standoff Weapon cruise missiles beyond the 1,087 now planned, commander Gen. Anthony Cotton said here on Feb. 2.
Asked if the command was examining those options, given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s posturing about using low-yield nuclear weapons after his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Cotton said, “Yes. We’re thinking about all…when it comes to LRSO [the Long Range Standoff Weapon].”
Cotton spoke via video to the Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit.
“I’m really excited on where we are with LRSO,” Cotton said. “We’re having an overall conversation in regards to studying what sizing and posture is in regards to my portfolio anyway so it obviously would include the new systems that are being delivered by the service components.”
The Pentagon has said that it plans an LRSO Milestone C production decision in 2027. The total acquisition cost estimate has been $16.2 billion.
The Air Force held an LRSO Critical Design Review last Feb. 27-March 2 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is to provide the W80-4 warhead for LRSO. Air Force bombers, including the future Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, are to carry LRSO. The missile will replace the Boeing AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile, which has a W80-1 warhead that Air Force officials said can come in a lower-yield configuration.
Lawrence Livermore and Sandia National Laboratories have been moving toward nuclear safety certification of the W80-4 and validation of the computational models of the warhead’s performance.
A version of this story first appeared in Nuclear Security and Deterrence Monitor affiliate publication Defense Daily.
