The AGM-181a Long-Range Senttoff (LRSO)
The US Air Force has revealed a projection of its state-of-the-art AGM-181a Long-Range Findoff missile. The missile, which has recently been subjected to flight tests, should replace its predecessor of the Cold War time.
The Armed Forces around the world have a strange mix of old and new. Sometimes the equipment is brand new and state -of -the -art; In others the military handle equipment that their grandparents used.
There is an example of US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bombers, which were introduced in the 1950s, and some of which will still be flying when the aircraft reaches the mark of the century.
As it writes, during the Cold War in the 1980s, it seemed that the B-52 had seen its last days, because it was no longer able to penetrate the Warsaw Pact’s air defenses to carry out its determining bombing mission.
It was then that the Air Force introduced the AGM-86B (Alcm) air missile, which turned the heavy bomber B-52 into a strategic combat weapons platform.
Although they are still at the US service, the front line, the B-52 and the AGM-86B are getting old. Its components are aging and are difficult to replace, with increasingly high maintenance costs.
Worse yet, its flight technology to avoid enemy defenses is becoming increasingly obsolete and clearly less stealing against the most sophisticated satellites and sensors. In addition, the reach of the missile is no longer sufficient and lack the mission flexibility necessary for the modern battle environments.
Here’s the AGM-181a
The new AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff (LRSO)like its predecessor of the 1980s, it is a cruise missile that breathes air and is able to navigate to the intended target without supervision.
Developed by Raytheon Technologies, it was designed to be launched not only from B-52, but also from the new bomber B-21 Raider.
As the New Atlas details, it is armed with the latest W80 Mod 4 thermoonuclear warhead, which can be programmed with an explosive yield between five and 150 kilotons, but weighs only 130 kg, incorporating new protection and safety characteristics.
The missile is fed by a turbofan Williams F107-Wi-106, which gives him a range of more than 2,500 km at subsonic speeds.
The improved orientation system is designed to function in areas with degraded or refused GPS and to resist electromagnetic interference. It is also expected to have the ability to autonomously respond to threats and modify your flight trajectory as needed.
Its appearance strongly suggests a Much more effective stolen capacity To absorb or falsify signs of radar in a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
According to New Atlas, the production of the AGM-181A should start in 2027 and will enter the service of the US Armed around 2030.
