The $14 Million Nuclear Missile Quietly Linking America’s 70-Year-Old B-52 To The Brand-New B-21 Raider

The US Air Force’s Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is planned to enter service in 2027, while the upgraded B-52J bomber is expected to enter service around 2033, with the older B-52H serving until then. It is working to bring a next-generation stealthy cruise nuclear missile, the AGM-181 Long-Range Standoff Missile (LRSO), into service in 2030 to replace an aging missile: the AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile.