Every now and again in the history of technology there is something that is so well designed or fits its role so precisely that it hangs around much longer than its contemporaries. This is why people still travel along Roman roads that were built 2,000 years ago, it seems like every other bridge in Britain was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel during the Victorian Age, and an Eames lounge chair of today is almost identical to one from 1956.

Another example of this is the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, which entered service with the US Air Force as one leg of America's nuclear deterrence triad and has remained there ever since. Though its original purpose was to penetrate Soviet airspace to drop hydrogen bombs, its mission evolved over the years as both policy and technology have changed until it's become a highly sophisticated platform stuffed with electronics and is used for conventional bombing and for delivering nuclear and conventional stand-off weapons outside the reach of un-neutralized modern air defenses.

More to the point, the B-52's airframe was so well built that the bomber is expected to remain in service into the 2050s after its "successors" have been retired and the original crews have been replaced by their great-grandchildren.

Now, the B-52 is getting another upgrade as Lockheed Martin is given a US$694-million contract to make a production version of its AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). Integrating the missile with the B-52 shouldn't be too difficult, given that the bomber was used for flight testing the AGM-183A beginning in 2020.

Capable of flying at speeds in excess of Mach 5, the hypersonic AGM-183A is designed to be launched from an aircraft before being boosted to high speed and altitude by a rocket booster. It then turns into a glide body, gaining even greater speed as it drops towards its target under the autonomous control of its onboard inertial guidance system and GPS to deliver its high-explosive warhead.

The new contract not only cements the B-52's role as a front-line combat platform but also marks the revival of the ARRW program, which faced cancellation in 2023. It also demonstrates America's commitment to fielding practical hypersonic missile systems in the near future.

"The ARRW production contract award showcases Lockheed Martin's ability to develop and begin production on cutting-edge systems at unprecedented speed and scale," said Tim Cahill, president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "ARRW expands our weapon systems portfolio and launches a critical, high-precision, and sustained hypersonic capability that will enhance the US Air Force's strategic advantage across multiple domains."