October 26 V. Putin announced that the “decisive tests of the nuclear intercontinental cruise missile Burevestnik” have been completed. And on October 29 he announced the successful launch of the Poseidon nuclear torpedo from a submarine.
According to V. Putin, in the first case, it is a “unique” weapon of “unlimited range” that no one else in the world has, and in the second case, “in terms of speed and depth of movement” – “there is nothing like it in the world and it is unlikely that it will appear in the near future.”
On the same day, October 29, a B-52H bomber was photographed in California with an unusual weapon under the wing. Military experts have determined that it is the new AGM-181 Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) nuclear missile, whose photos were published in June, Defense News writes.
This is the first public demonstration of the AGM-181 LRSO, and the orange markings on the plane indicate that it was an official test flight and not a training flight, the portal emphasizes.
According to aviation photographer Ian Recchio, the B-52 first flew a low route before climbing to an altitude of about 1.5 km, allowing observers to get a good look at the cargo and photograph it. The fact that the new missile was demonstrated right after Putin’s statements is hardly a coincidence, Defense News notes:
“Strategic analysts believe that the public display of the LRSO prototype was a delicately calculated signal—a subtle reminder that the United States is completing the modernization of its nuclear triad. In an era of increasing nuclear escalation, the simple display of such a weapon to the world can be as powerful as the official announcement of it.”
The AGM-181 is a so-called “stealth” missile that cannot be detected by enemy radars. It flies at subsonic speeds while tracking terrain, which also helps it remain invisible, and carries a W80-4 thermonuclear warhead with a yield ranging from 5 to 150 kilotons of TNT. The power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was about 15 kilotons.
Defense News notes that the new missile, which has a range of more than 2,400 km, allows US bombers to strike even beyond the most advanced air defense systems: “It gives US commanders an unparalleled flexible deterrent, a weapon that can be launched, recalled or redeployed without crossing red lines. It is the modern epitome of reliable, controllable deterrence – visible enough to send a signal, and invisible enough not to be knocked down.”
15min reminds that Donald Trump responded to V. Putin’s announcement about “Burevestnik” by saying that the latter would be better off solving peace issues rather than testing missiles, because “American submarines are already off the shores of Russia.” And after the Poseidon announcement, the US president ordered the Pentagon to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons.
