On Tuesday, June 30, 2026, the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, on behalf of the US Department of Defense, signed a contract worth 49,500,000 USD with Boeing for work related to the regeneration and technical support of EAC (Elevon Actuator Controller) flight controllers for AGM-86B ALCM (Air-Launched Cruise Missile) strategic cruise missiles carrying the W80-1 thermonuclear warhead with a variable yield of 5 to 200 kt.
Photos: USAF
The contract covers the production of test sets and regeneration of EAC flight controllers necessary to maintain the combat readiness of AGM-86B ALCM missiles. Work will be performed at Boeing facilities in Heath, Ohio, and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, with completion planned for June 29, 2033. Initial funds from USAF missile procurement funds under the FY2026 NDAA defense budget in the amount of 2,867,534 USD were obligated at the time of contract award.
The EAC flight controllers are responsible for the operation of the control surface actuators on the missile’s wings (ailerons and elevators), which control flight – pitch, roll, and maintenance of the appropriate flight profile. The EAC is an electronic module comprising, among other components, printed circuit boards, which processes commands from the missile’s navigation system, controls the hydraulic actuators moving the control surfaces, and ensures precise maneuvering of the missile during very low-altitude flight. Without a properly functioning controller, the missile is unable to fly correctly along its planned route and strike its target.
It is worth noting that in December 2019, the conventional variant of the missile, the AGM-86C/D CALCM (Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile), was retired from service, while the nuclear variant, produced from 1982 and in service from 1986, will be gradually replaced from the end of the decade by the next-generation AGM-181A LRSO (Long-Range Stand-Off) missile from RTX corporation.
The AGM-86B ALCM, of which 1,715 units were produced, is guided to its target using a Litton inertial navigation system and the TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching) terrain comparison system, which matches the terrain against a stored digital map.
Both the AGM-86C/D and AGM-86B were powered by a Williams International F107-WR-101 turbojet engine developing 2.7 kN of thrust. The missiles’ range is officially classified, but for conventional warhead variants was estimated at at least 1,100-1,200 km, while the AGM-86B in question has a range estimated at 2,400-2,500 km. The launch platform is the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber, which can carry up to 20 missiles simultaneously, 12 on underwing pylons (three on each) and eight in a single rotary launcher in the bomb bay.