"The Boeing Co. […] has been awarded a $250,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Long Range Stand-Off Cruise Missile weapon system integration", the release said on Wednesday. "This contract provides for aircraft and missile carriage equipment development and modification, engineering, testing, software development, training, facilities, and support necessary to fully integrate the Long Range Stand-Off Cruise Missile on the B-52H bomber platform".
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In fall 2018, US Congress approved funding of nearly $665 million for the Long Range Stand Off Cruise Missile, $655 million to extend the life of the W80 warhead and nearly $540 million to sustain the existing fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles, the release said.
The B-52 is a subsonic long-range bomber that can fly at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet and deploy the widest range of weapons in the US aerial arsenal. The aircraft has been operated by the US Air Force since the 1950s.
Currently, only Russia and the United States operate intercontinental range bomber aircraft. Most other nuclear-capable nations rely solely on intercontinental ballistic missiles, based on submarines or in land-based silos, or cruise missiles.
