The US Air Force said in its fiscal 2024 budget document that the iconic B-52 Stratofortress bombers will undergo major redesigning for an extended service life. Critical overhauls will allow heavy bombers that entered service in 1954 to fly for more than a century.
Central to the modernization efforts is the replacement of the aircraft’s Pratt and Whitney-made TF33 turbofan engines with 608 new F130 engines from Rolls-Royce. The aerospace giant has been awarded a contract to supply the engines, spare parts, support equipment, and commercial engineering data for the upgraded B-52Js. This update is set to significantly boost the aircraft’s performance and efficiency, enabling it to fly at impressive subsonic speeds and altitudes up to 50,000 feet while reducing maintenance costs.
Besides these new engines, many other upgrades include radar, communications, navigation equipment, and weapons upgrades to the B-52 fleet. The effort will modernize the B-52 to be able to continue its service as a force multiplier needed for the nation’s defenses through the 2050s.
The versatility, reach, and payload capacity of the B-52 have made the aircraft a dependable military workhorse over six decades. The aircraft can deliver a wide array of munitions: cluster bombs, gravity bombs, joint direct attack munitions, and even precision-guided missiles. Much of the fleet’s aircraft are maintained on a moment’s notice for deployment as needed, so at any given moment, many of the planes can be airborne and ready for combat to enable the Air Force to respond quickly to a threat and to take appropriate actions.
Within this long-serving history, the B-52 played its part in many conflicts and military operations that range from the Vietnam War to the Gulf War and, currently, the War on Terror. While this aircraft is somewhat aged, it is still considerably vital to the United States Air Force today, having gone through recent renovations to help the plane stay well into the future as a vital defense capability.