Is the B-52 getting new engines?
The B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, which will put the new Rolls-Royce engines in the bombers, is also similarly delayed due to the Air Force underestimating the level of funding needed to complete the re-engining designs, the GAO said. The initial capability isn’t expected until sometime in 2033. The US Air Force is updating its B-52 with new radar technology and engines. US President Donald Trump’s STATCOM nominee said the upgrades make the B-52 basically a new airplane. The upgrades are delayed by years and over-budget.The B-52 entered service with Strategic Air Command in April 1955 as an atomic bomb carrier. A total of 744 B-52s were built before production ceased in 1962. During the eight years of production, the design underwent numerous alterations, finishing up with the H-model – the only variant that is still in service today.Bombers are generally clean sheet design so converting existing airframes is not practical. Building new B-52s would require thousands of parts to be contracted out and a new assembly building. The airframes themselves are in decent shape. The upgrades are for modern engines and avionics.
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