The Long-Range Standoff nuclear cruise missile (LRSO), created by Raytheon for the US Air Force (Air Force), is designed to destroy strategic enemy objects, writes the American magazine Popular Mechanics.
According to the publication, if a promising strategic bomber B-21 Raider does not receive this weapon, it will have to fly over each enemy target to destroy it, which increases the risks of the mission and the time to complete it. In particular, if the target of the aircraft is the headquarters of the enemy, giving the order to launch a massive strike, then the bomber may arrive to the enemy too late.
The magazine notes that the LRSO may become the subject of a bargain between Washington, Moscow and Beijing regarding nuclear disarmament.
In July, Defense News reported that Raytheon received a contract for two billion dollars, involving the development of a nuclear cruise missile LRSO in the interests of the US Air Force. The publication recalled that this weapon will be received by the American strategic bombers B-52 Stratofortress (active) and B-21 Raider (promising). Serial production of the LRSO should start in 2027. The Air Force plans to purchase more than a thousand such missiles, the range of which will exceed 2.4 thousand kilometers.
Ivan Potapov
