Oldest US bomber tests America’s most advanced nuclear missile ever

A B-52H Stratofortress bomber, known as Torch52, was photographed on October 29, 2025, over Owens Valley, California, carrying what appears to be the AGM-181 Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) stealth nuclear cruise missile. This marks the missile’s first public sighting. The AGM-181 LRSO is a next-generation nuclear-capable cruise missile designed to replace the older AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile. It features advanced stealth capabilities, including composite materials and a smaller radar cross-section, fold-out wings, an inverted-T tail, and electronic countermeasures to evade enemy radar and defenses. The missile is approximately 20 feet long, subsonic, and uses an air-breathing engine, allowing it to strike strategic targets from long distances beyond enemy air defenses. Developed by Raytheon since 2020, the LRSO is compatible with both the B-52H and the forthcoming B-