US Air Force to spend $11bn to upgrade B-52H - bomber to get F130 engine, radar and be able to carry new nuclear missile with range of 2,400km

The US Air Force is prepared to spend nearly $11bn over several years to upgrade the B-52H Stratofortress strategic bomber. After the upgrade it will be called B-52J.

Here's What We Know

The B-52H upgrade is not limited to Roll-Royce's new F130 engine, trials of which have already begun. For fiscal year (FY) 2024, the US Air Force has requested a modest $65.82 million, but in FY2027 and FY2028 funding should increase to more than $1.1 billion.

$845.9 million will be spent on radar modernization, including nearly $272 million in FY2027. The project is called the Radar Modernization Program (RMP). Separately, the U.S. Air Force is requesting $371 million for research, development, testing and evaluation of a new radar system. The RMP calls for the purchase of 74 radar kits, three training systems and two engineering development kits.

The upgraded B-52J will be equipped with an active phased array radar. The aircraft will receive a variant of the Raytheon AN/APG-79 radar used on the US Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter. It will replace the APG-166. The US Air Force has said that problems with suppliers and spare parts will make the old radar "unsupportable" until 2030.

The total cost of the B-52H nuclear bomber upgrade, after which the aircraft will be called the B-52J, is estimated at $11bn. The strategic bombers must undergo the upgrade and be ready for service by the end of this decade. Once upgraded, the planes will remain in service until the 2050s.

The B-52J could have received the AGM-183A ARRW hypersonic missile, which it was involved in testing. However, the US Air Force abandoned the programme after the failed test. However, the bomber after the upgrade will be able to carry a new nuclear-capable Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) missile with a launch range of at least 2,400 km. The US Air Force has requested $911 million for FY2024 to develop a replacement for the AGM-86B ALCM.

Source: The War Zone, Air & Force Spaces Magazine