Raytheon Wins $2B Contract for New Nuclear Cruise Missile
upstart writes:
Raytheon wins $2B contract for new nuclear cruise missile:
Raytheon Technologies will get up to $2 billion to develop the U.S. Air Force's Long Range Standoff [(LRSO)] Weapon system, a new nuclear-capable, air-launched cruise missile that will be carried by B-52 and B-21 bombers.
The service on July 1 awarded Raytheon a cost-plus-fixed-fee deal for the engineering and manufacturing development stage of the LRSO program, with contract options that max out at about $2 billion.
[...] LRSO is slated to replace the AGM-86B air-launched cruise missile, which was designed in the 1970s. Air Force officials have argued that the legacy ALCM has become more difficult to maintain as its supply base becomes obsolete, and its effectiveness gets increasingly compromised as adversaries field more sophisticated air defense systems.
[...] During a July 2 briefing, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Defense Department aims to keep LRSO development on track, even as it executes a Nuclear Posture Review that could eventually call for the weapon's cancellation.
[*] EMD: Engineering & Manufacturing Development
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