The US Air Force is well into its transformative era concerning the bomber fleet, retiring both the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit in favor of the new B-21 Raider and an extensively modernized version of its venerable B-52 now designated the B-52J. It will further extend the service life of the B-52, first flown in 1952, into at least the mid-2060s.
The B-52J will include new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, advanced radar systems, modernized avionics, and updated nuclear strike capabilities. These improvements are part of a larger push to ensure that the bomber remains viable on the battlefield in modern warfare. “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,” Defense News reported. The effort, known as the Commercial Engine Replacement Program- or CERP for short the $2.6 billion starting point for a far broader redevelopment.
The B-52 has beaten expectations on just about everything since coming online, and with the forthcoming J-variant, it’s expected to stay in the air until around 2060. The Air Force will be flying 100-year-old bombers mid-century-a remarkable testament to the plane’s design and its adaptability. “We’re asking geriatric B-52s to be that backbone while we’re waiting for the B-21 to be able to come on board,” retired Air Force pilot Heather Penney said.
It will also be fitted with a new modern radar, improved avionics, the Long Range Standoff weapon for nuclear strikes, communication upgrades, and new digital displays. This would maintain that while the airframe might be decades old, much of the substance is modern and fresh.
That new designation was confirmed on budget documents released by the Air Force for FY 2024, the first fresh designation for the iconic Stratofortress since the last B-52H rolled off production lines in 1962. The decision came down to simple logic, according to Col. Louis Ruscetta, senior materiel leader for the B-52 division: aircraft designations avoid the letter “I” because of confusion with the numeral “1.”
The overhaul is comprehensive in the B-52J: Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines were replaced with Rolls-Royce F-130 engines boasting huge increases in fuel efficiency and range. The Radar Modernization Program replaces the APQ 166 radar with the APG-79 Bomber Modernized Radar System, improving the aircraft’s ability to track multiple targets over long distances.
Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, joked recently that the B-52 might be the service’s first 6th-generation aircraft since six generations of airmen will have flown it by the end of its new projected service life. Behind the quip is the truth: The new engines mean longer legs and greater fuel efficiency, putting the B-52 into a whole new type of fight.
It is supposed to enter service in the late 2020s, though those first test aircraft aren’t scheduled to roll out of Boeing’s San Antonio facility with new Rolls-Royce engines until 2026 or 2027. The Air Force is not expected to reach IOC with its re-engined B-52 bombers until Fiscal Year 2033.
The B-52J is going to be quite central within the bomber fleet of the Air Force, particularly in light of the retirement of the B-1 and B-2. Over the past decade, the mission-capable rate of the aircraft has gone down from 78% in 2012 to 59% in 2022-a fact that further describes the reason underlying these upgrades. Consequently, modernization would ensure that this plane remains a formidable force in U.S. military aviation for decades to come.