Is The B-52 Past Its Expiration Date?

Image from Wikipedia

There are 76 B-52s in service in the U.S. Air Force now. It is a long range, large capacity, non-stealth, subsonic bomber. It can't even utilize the ground hugging approach to radar evasion of the B1-B bomber. It is really only suitable in circumstances where the U.S. has air superiority, or it is firing very long range missiles.

Of course, in truth, with a new round of upgrades, it will not be the original 1962 war plane. It will be a modern aircraft with a historic air frame façade. Bombers also experience less wear and tear than any other kind of military aircraft, since they are flown so much less often each year and don't conduct evasive maneuvers that stress the airframe to nearly the same extent as fighter aircraft. Still, a B-52 "transport bomber" replacement is long overdue. It is hard to believe that we've learned nothing useful and relevant about airframe design in the last 62 years.

The Air Force is preparing to bring on its newest stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, and retire the aging B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit. Sometime in the 2030s, the service plans to have a fleet of two bombers — at least 100 B-21s and the current fleet of 76 B-52s, modernized top to bottom with a slate of upgrades.

It is the most sweeping revamp of the U.S. bomber fleet in more than a generation. This $48.6 billion overhaul is intended to keep the (eventually redubbed) B-52J operational until about 2060 — meaning the Air Force could be flying nearly century-old bombers. When the last B-52 was delivered in 1962, it was expected to last 20 years, the Defense Department’s inspector general said in a November 2023 report. . . . 

The centerpiece of the B-52J modernization will be the replacement of the bomber’s original ’60s-era Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines with new Rolls-Royce-made F130 engines; that $2.6 billion effort is known as the Commercial Engine Replacement Program. The Air Force expects the first test B-52J will start ground and flight tests in late 2028, and for more B-52s to receive new engines throughout the 2030s.

But that’s not all: The B-52J will also receive a new modern radar, improved avionics, the Long Range Standoff weapon to carry out nuclear strikes from a distance, communication upgrades, new digital displays replacing dozens of old analog dials, new wheels and brakes, and other improvements.

From the Air Force Times.