U.S. Air Force extends AGM-86B nuclear missile life to 2033

The U.S. Air Force has published a solicitation announcing its intent to award a sole-source contract to Boeing for the remanufacture of a critical guidance component inside the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile, keeping the nuclear-capable weapon operational for nearly another decade. The solicitation, posted April 6, 2026, by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, covers the restoration of up to 550 Elevon Actuator Controllers — a flight-control assembly essential to the missile’s ability to navigate to its target.

The contract is structured as a seven-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity agreement spanning one one-year ordering period and three two-year ordering periods, with a contemplated period of performance running from July 2026 through July 2033. The Air Force identified Boeing’s Guidance and Repair Center, operating under CAGE code 05HA6, as the sole qualified source for the work. No foreign participation is anticipated under the award.

The delivery schedule calls for eight remanufactured units per month, amounting to 94 kitted Elevon Actuator Controllers per year. The contract line item structure includes provisions for production test sets, facilities readiness, travel, data deliverables, and contingency categories covering work beyond the basic remanufacture scope — including units deemed beyond economical repair. A solicitation amendment dated April 6, 2026 increased the number of production test sets under CLIN 0001 from three to four, reflecting updated support requirements ahead of the production ramp.

The Elevon Actuator Controller is the electronic assembly that commands the AGM-86B’s aerodynamic control surfaces — the elevons — which steer the missile in flight. Without a functioning controller, the missile cannot follow a precise flight path to its designated target. The remanufacture effort involves complete disassembly of each aging unit down to the circuit card level, replacement of all major subassemblies including three circuit card assemblies and associated power transistors, resistors, and bridge rectifiers, followed by reassembly, testing, and finishing to return each controller to like-new condition. Critically, the Statement of Work specifies that the remanufacture process must not affect the missile’s operational flight software or its nuclear certification status — two constraints that reflect the sensitivity of working on a weapon integrated into the United States nuclear arsenal.

Boeing is required to produce additional test sets and associated test program sets to support the production throughput, with completed test hardware treated as government deliverables. Government-furnished property transferred to Boeing for the program includes two Boeing-manufactured interconnecting group test sets, described in the solicitation as “Gen 3” core test systems with associated instruments, cables, interface devices, and test fixtures.

The AGM-86B has served as one of the principal nuclear delivery systems carried by the B-52 Stratofortress bomber for decades. With the Long Range Standoff missile — its eventual replacement — still in development and not yet fielded at scale, keeping existing ALCM inventory mission-capable is a near-term operational necessity for Air Force Global Strike Command. Remanufacturing the Elevon Actuator Controller directly addresses a service-life limitation caused by the age and obsolescence of original electronic components, particularly the circuit card assemblies that process flight-control commands.

The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center’s Missile Sustainment Division at Tinker AFB manages the ALCM program. The solicitation was prepared by program engineer Edward McLaughlin and program manager Captain Adam Forbes of the division, with contracting handled through the AFNWC/PZNT office. The government has determined the effort will not be set aside for small business, though the selected contractor will be required to meet subcontracting plan obligations.

Completed controllers are to be shipped to the DLA Distribution Depot Oklahoma at Tinker AFB, packaged under special instructions that deliberately obscure the end-item identity on external labeling — a security measure consistent with the classified nature of nuclear weapon system components. Each shipment is required to include individual acceptance test results for every serialized unit, giving the program office a traceable quality record for every controller returned to the stockpile.

The government has noted that funds are not presently available and that no award will be made until appropriations are confirmed, with the anticipated contract award date listed as to be determined. Offers are due by May 18, 2026.