US reveals new stealth nuclear cruise missiles on Cold War bomber

The US military was spotted testing a new stealth nuclear weapon on a Cold War bomber last week — just as the Air Force was preparing to test its Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
An Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was pictured flying over California’s Owens Valley Oct. 29, with the snapshot revealing rockets underneath its wing that appeared to match renderings of the AGM-181A Long-Range Standoff nuclear cruise-missile, The Aviationist reported.
While the exact missile on board the jet could not be independently verified, the B-52 is the key long-range, heavy bomber that makes up one leg of America’s nuclear triad — which can launch doomsday weapons from the land, sea and air.
Aviation photographer Ian Recchio was in the Owens Valley on Oct. 29 when he caught a glimpse of the B-52H soaring at low altitudes, prompting him to snap a pic, he told the aviation outlet.
A zoom-in on the weapons aboard the jet resembled renderings published earlier this year of the new Long-Range Standoff rockets, the Air Force’s next-gen stealth nuclear cruise missiles, according to The Aviationist.
The missile — which is still being tested — is poised to replace the older AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missile and update America’s nuclear arsenal in the face of Russia and China’s growing atomic stockpile.
The sighting came just a week before the US fired its latest Minuteman doomsday missile early Wednesday, testing the second leg of America’s doomsday atomic deterrent — meant to be launched only in response to a nuclear attack by an enemy nation.
Along with the jets and intercontinental missiles, the US also maintains Trident nuclear missiles that can be launched from Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines.
The testing of America’s nuclear triad has garnered new importance after President Trump ordered the US to restart its atomic weapons testing last week.