Name: US Air Force Selects Raytheon to Build Nuclear-Capable Long-Range Standoff Missile
Brand: thediplomat.com
SKU: thediplomat-com-10
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

US Air Force Selects Raytheon to Build Nuclear-Capable Long-Range Standoff Missile

preview

Last week, the U.S. Air Force announced that the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear-armed cruise missile, a modernized U.S. nuclear capability, will be solely sourced from Raytheon. The decision ruled out an alternative bid by Lockheed Martin, which had its own design for the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) that is slated to replace the AGM-86 ALCM.The decision marks the effective end of the LRSO’s Technical Maturation and Risk (TMRR) phase, whereby both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon had competed and offered separate LRSO designs. The TMRR began in August 2017.“Our competitive TMRR phase, which included both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon as the prime contractors, enabled us to select a high-confidence design at this point in the acquisition process,” Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center commander and program executive officer for strategic systems, the U.S. Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base.“And this early off-ramp of a contractor is completely in line with the existing LRSO acquisition strategy, which included periodic reviews to assess contractor designs. Lockheed 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,” Morris continued.Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.“Lockheed Martin has supported the nuclear enterprise for decades and we continue to value their expertise in sensors and nuclear certification and surety,” he added.The sole-sourcing of the LRSO via Raytheon mirrors the December 2019 decision by the U.S. Air Force to grant defense firm Northrop Grumman the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program, the replacement for the currently deployed U.S. Minuteman-III intercontinental-range ballistic missiles.Unlike the LRSO, Northrop Grumman was the sole bidder for the GBSD contract. Boeing, the other prospective GBSD bidder, decided to withhold participation amid concerns about competing on cost — particularly over Northrop Grumman’s .Once developed, the LRSO will be delivered by U.S. B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bombers as well as the upcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which will replace the currently operational B-2 Spirit. The LRSO is expected to reach initial operating capability by the end of the decade. The LRSO is expected to the use the U.S. W80-4 warhead, which will be built specifically for the system.Details about the specific capabilities of what will eventually become the LRSO remain limited. The system is designed to allow American strategic bombers to safely launch a nuclear-armed cruise missile from uncontested airspace, allowing the missile itself to maneuver in a low-observable way to its target.

Last week, the U.S. Air Force announced that the Long-Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear-armed cruise missile, a modernized U.S. nuclear capability, will be solely sourced from Raytheon. The decision ruled out an alternative bid by Lockheed Martin, which had its own design for the air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) that is slated to replace the AGM-86 ALCM.The decision marks the effective end of the LRSO’s Technical Maturation and Risk (TMRR) phase, whereby both Lockheed Martin and Raytheon had competed and offered separate LRSO designs. The TMRR began in August 2017.“Our competitive TMRR phase,...

public

Ankit Panda

The Diplomat: the premier international affairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific, covering politics, defense and society from China and Iran to Burma and Australia

thediplomat.com

Credible

Speculation

Anecdotal Evidence

Generalization

Stacking the Deck

Appeal to Authority

Straw Man

Slippery Slope

Emotional Appeal

Red Herring

False Dilemma

Illogical

Moral Equivalency

Ad Hominem

Correlation w/o Causation

Semantics

Begging the Question

Faulty Analogy

Non Sequitur

Bandwagon

Dogmatism

Failing Occam's Razor

Biased

Pure Opinion

Hit Piece

Racial Bias

National Bias

Religious Bias

Financial Incentive

Political Agenda

Gender Bias

Misused Image/Video

Study Misinterpreted

Mistake

Misused Term

Science Misrepresented

Factual Error

Satire

Surface Level

Lack of Reliable Sources

Sensational

Not Credible

Investigative

Balanced

Well Sourced

Great Context

sports

entertainment

U.S.

international

business

technology

science

culture

politics

media

health

US Air Force Selects Raytheon to Build Nuclear-Capable Long-Range Standoff Missile

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS