The US has unveiled its latest "stealth" nuclear missile, the AGM-181 Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO).
The prototype of one of the most secret weapons in the US nuclear modernization program was filmed on a B-52 bomber over California.
The photo, taken by aviation photographer Ian Recchio, shows the bomber with "two unusual weapons" under its wings.
Analysts quickly concluded that the missiles matched official renderings of the AGM-181, released earlier this year, and that the similarity was "too great to ignore."
With its stealthy design and variable-yield W80-4 warhead, the LRSO is designed to "slip through radar networks" and attack from a distance of more than 2,400 km.
The missile, which is being developed by Raytheon, will replace the aging AGM-86 and is expected to be equipped with the new B-52 Stratofortress and B-21 Raider bombers.
The $16 billion program is scheduled to enter low-volume production in 2027.
Strategically, the LRSO gives Washington a flexible nuclear option - a weapon that can be launched, redirected, or withdrawn in flight.
As one assessment put it, LRSO is a "ghost in the air." /Telegraph/
