of long-range missiles at targets from a safe distance hundreds or thousands of miles away.
The upgraded fleet will be tasked with lobbing up to 70,000 lb. In combination with other major upgrades, such as the Raytheon AGM-181 Long-Range Standoff missile and new satellite links, the first of 76 redesignated B-52Js should become operational within the next decade. To avoid obsolescence and extend the B-52’s range by more than 20%, the 16,000-lb.-thrust Pratt & Whitney TF33 turbofans are being replaced by BR725-derived Rolls-Royce F130 engines, a modification that requires sweeping changes to internal structures and electronics.Īn unreliable mechanically scanned APQ-166 radar, last updated in the 1980s, is being replaced by a modern active, electronically scanned array (AESA), which will allow the B-52 to search the sky, land and sea for threats en route to its missile launch positions. Engineering and manufacturing development phase to start soonĪn eight-engine bomber fleet that completed production in 1962, however, requires significant changes to remain relevant until perhaps 2062.Physical prototypes are to double-check digital models.With the Northrop Grumman B-21 set under the 2018 Bomber Vector plan to replace the Rockwell International B-1B and Northrop B-2 bombers over the next two decades, the B-52 is planned to keep flying as a long-range, missile-carrying partner to the stealthy, penetrating Raider. Air Force decided to reenlist the venerable Stratofortress for several decades of continued service. II” B-52 mockup is now installed in the high-bay facility of Boeing’s Oklahoma City engineering center and charged with one more mission: Help keep an $11 billion revamp of the B-52 on track.įive years have passed since the U.S. Minus tail surfaces, engines and a right wing, the long-retired “Damage Inc.
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