The US Air Force will not be able to use modernised B-52J Stratofortress nuclear bombers until 2033 at the earliest

Many US military programmes are being delayed. One such is the modernisation of the iconic B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers.

Here's What We Know

The modernisation of the B-52H will allow the planes to fly until at least 2050. They will keep company with the new-generation B-21 Raider nuclear bombers, which are expected to start production within a few years.

B-52H after modernisation will be called B-52J. The US Air Force intends to replace all Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines in the bombers with Rolls-Royce F130 engines. The Rolls-Royce powerplant offers improved fuel consumption and will save on maintenance.

The U.S. Air Force will not achieve initial operational capability until fiscal year 2033. That said, it was originally thought that the powerplant replacement programme in the B-52 Stratofortress would be completed three years earlier.

The projected cost of the project to install the new engines has not yet been specified. A report by the Audit Office as of January 2024 stated that the US Air Force had not developed a formal cost estimate for the programme.

It later emerged that the military service was waiting for updated cost data from Boeing. Information from the US Air Force's budget request for the next fiscal year indicates the cost of the programme has risen from $8bn to $9bn.

In addition to the F130 engines, the B-52J Stratofortress bombers will be equipped with new radars. Thus, instead of AN/APG-166, all 76 aircraft will receive new active phased array radars based on AN/APG-79. These will provide greater range, improve overall situational awareness and enhance countermeasures resilience.

The cost estimate for radar replacement in 2021 was $2.343 billion. By the end of summer 2023, it had increased to $2.58 billion. For radar, achieving initial operational capability is still scheduled for fiscal year 2027.

Source: The War Zone