The US is about to have a new nuclear cruise missile in its hands.

The AGM-181A is the latest cruise missile carrying a nuclear warhead, signaling that the US wants to gain an advantage in the nuclear arms race with Russia and China.

Recently, the US Air Force announced that the new AGM-181A long-range nuclear cruise missile will be equipped on the future B-21 Raider stealth bomber. Photo: @Raytheon.

This is a major step forward in replacing the aging AGM-86B air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), in an effort to modernize the US Air Force's broader nuclear deterrent, as well as helping to enhance the capabilities of the B-21 Raider, the aircraft that carries the B61-12 and B61-13 nuclear bombs. Photo: @Raytheon.

Notably, the image of the new AGM-181A long-range nuclear cruise missile just released by the US Air Force is the first to be released since the launch of this missile program. Although the image is a digital rendering that omits specific details for security reasons, it shows a missile with a trapezoidal shape, foldable wings similar to the previous generation, a vertical tail located below, surrounded by two slightly tilted horizontal wings. A notable feature is that there are no visible air intakes in the image. Photo: @Raytheon.

The US Air Force introduced the AGM-181A as a long-range nuclear cruise missile specifically designed to perform missions in highly contested environments with enemy air defenses, allowing the B-21 Raider stealth bomber to launch the missile from a safe distance. Photo: @Raytheon.

This AGM-181A long-range nuclear cruise missile is expected to equip not only future B-21 Raiders, but also the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber. Photo: @Raytheon.

The new AGM-181A long-range nuclear cruise missile was developed by Raytheon, the prime contractor selected for the program in 2020. Photo: @Raytheon.

By 2021, the missile project entered the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase and in 2022, it underwent a number of flight tests to validate integration with the B-52 Stratofortress, including engine ignition performance and control systems. Some of the tests were conducted using mock nuclear warheads. Photo: @Raytheon.

The AGM-181A is a nuclear cruise missile with a range of 2,414 km, and a variable explosive yield of 5-150 kilotons. The AGM-181A has a low-observable platform with inverted and swept wings. The benefit of such a design is that it increases the missile's ability to operate in GPS-denied environments. Photo: @Raytheon.

The AGM-181A uses a Williams F107 turbofan engine for propulsion. Photo: @Raytheon.

In terms of procurement figures, previous reports from US defense media citing Pentagon documents said the Air Force aims to buy about 1,020 of these AGM-181A missiles. Photo: @Raytheon.

The estimated cost per unit is around $14 million—$4 million more than originally projected. If confirmed, this would be nearly double the cost of existing AGM-86B missiles. The remaining AGM-86B missiles are expected to be retired by 2030. Photo: @Raytheon.

The development of the AGM-181A shows that the US is actively promoting many high-tech aerospace fields to keep up with China's accelerating weapons development programs. Because China has many types of cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The CJ-10 is a long-range land-attack cruise missile (LACM), which can also be launched from the air. The DH-10 is a ground-launched variant. The CJ-10 has a range of 2,200 km, while the DH-10 is reported to have a range of 4,000 km. Each of these missiles can carry a 500 kg conventional warhead; some reports also indicate that the above missiles can carry nuclear warheads. They rely on INS, GPS and terrain maps for precise guidance. Photo: @Raytheon.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/my-sap-co-trong-tay-mot-ten-lua-hanh-trinh-hat-nhan-moi-post1550238.html