The US Air Force (USAF) is looking to replace its aging AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile with modernized weapon capabilities designed for its nuclear bomber fleet, announced on 23 August. In this frame of quest, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have been seperately awarded a $900 million Technical Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) contract. The selected company will then receive an Engineering, Manufacturing and Development contract from the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, which is expected to be awarded in 2022. 

The USAF's AGM-86 Air Launched Cruise Missile, developed by Boeing, has been operational since 1986.