US President Donald Trump’s confidential nuclear missile has reportedly been captured in a photograph for the first time. Aviation photographer Ian Recchio identified an unfamiliar weapon while capturing military aircraft over the Owen Valley in California. Pictures taken on October 29 reveal a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying an unidentified weapon beneath its right wing, speculated to be the AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off Weapon (LRSO), as reported by The Aviationist.
The AGM-181 LRSO, promoted as the Air Force’s upcoming stealth nuclear cruise missile, is set to equip both the B-52 and the newly constructed B-21 stealth bomber. The distinctive warhead on the jet closely resembles the only public depiction of the AGM-181 LRSO released in June, as highlighted by the source.
The aircraft featured also exhibits the customary orange markings associated with test flights, according to The Aviationist. While the specific missile could not be independently confirmed, the B-52 has served as America’s strategic long-range bomber for nearly seven decades.
The AGM-181 LRSO, currently undergoing testing, is anticipated to carry the W80-4 warhead with a reported yield ranging from 5 to 150 kilotons, making its maximum explosion roughly ten times greater than the Hiroshima bomb in 1945. The missile, slated for operational readiness by 2030, is designed to replace the Cold War-era AGM-86 ALCM, a subsonic air-launched cruise missile.
Recchio shared with The Aviationist: “I was plane spotting with a friend @661aviation in the Owens Valley when we heard ‘Torch52’ entering the low-level at ‘point Alpha’ on the scanner. It’s always a delight to witness a heavy aircraft flying low, and when Torch reached our location, it had ascended to about 5,000 feet, still at a low altitude for a sizable aircraft. We managed to capture some images that unveiled some intriguing weaponry attached to one of the weapons pylons.”
This sighting coincides with reports of the US intensifying efforts to modernize its nuclear arsenal in response to escalating threats from Russia and China. In late October, Russia conducted a test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, purportedly capable of evading missile defenses and possessing an almost unlimited range.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin in a televised meeting: “We have launched a multi-hour flight of a nuclear-powered missile, covering a 14,000km (8,700-mile) distance, which is not the limit.”
Recently, Trump mentioned on Truth Social that he instructed defense officials to “begin testing our nuclear weapons on an equal footing” with rival nations. Energy Secretary Chris Wright later clarified that the US has no plans for nuclear detonations, emphasizing that any tests would involve “non-critical explosions.”
Nations typically maintain their nuclear stockpiles confidentially. According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia possesses an estimated 5,459 warheads, the US holds 5,177, and China approximately 600.