Tucson-Company To Build Nuclear Weapon For U.S. Air Force

TUCSON, AZ—Raytheon Missiles & Defense has won a contract to build long-range, nuclear-capable standoff weapons (LRSO) for the U.S. Air Force.

The LRSO, which can be launched from aircraft including bombers like the B-52 and B-21, will replace the nuclear AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile beginning around 2030, according to Airforce Magazine.

“LRSO will be a critical contributor to the air-launched portion of America’s nuclear triad,” said Wes Kremer, president of Raytheon Missiles and Defense. “Providing a modernized capability to the U.S. Air Force will strengthen our nation’s deterrence posture.”

The Air Force previously awarded two contracts for the LRSO Technology Maturation and Risk (TMRR) phase, one to Raytheon and one to Lockheed Martin, in August 2017.

After an extensive evaluation of contractor programmatic and technical approach during the TMRR’s preliminary design reviews, military officials said the Air Force decided to focus on Raytheon’s design.

"Martin has been an excellent contractor and partner throughout the TMRR effort and this pivot to Raytheon does not represent a lack of effort or commitment on their part. Lockheed Martin has supported the nuclear enterprise for decades and we continue to value their expertise in sensors and nuclear certification and surety," Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander and program executive officer for strategic systems.

Contract negotiations for the engineering and manufacturing development phase will start in Fiscal Year 2021, Raytheon officials said. The contract award is anticipated in FY2022.

With 195,000 employees, Raytheon, which is based in Tucson, is southern Arizona's largest employer.