For its part in developing the Long Range Stand Off (LRSO) Weapon System, Raytheon Missiles and Defense (Tucson, AZ) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force worth approximately $2 billion. Under the guidance of the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (Eglin Air Force Base, FL), the cost-plus-fixed-fee with performance incentives contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition for the LRSO Weapons System. The contract fuels the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the LRSO Weapon System under which manufacturing processes for a pilot line will be demonstrated. Full production readiness is expected by the end of the EMD phase.
The nuclear-armed LRSO cruise-missile system is being developed as a replacement for the AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) built by Boeing for the B-52H Stratofortress bomber (see the figure). Initial funding for LRSO Weapon System development was by the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Navy, respectively, to Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, but the U. S. Navy announced plans in April 2020 to develop the system with Raytheon Missiles & Defense as sole source. In contrast to the nuclear AGM-86 long-range missile which was developed for use on just one aircraft, the LRSO missile is being designed for multiple vehicles, including the Boeing B-52 and the B-21 bomber built by Northrop Grumman. The LRSO Weapon System is designed for guided, long-range penetration of opposing air-defense systems to destroy strategic targets. It must reach initial operational capability (IOC) before the retirement of the AGM-86 ALCM systems it will be replacing.