{"id":10847,"date":"2026-05-04T22:46:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/first-b-52s-to-get-new-engines-this-year\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T22:46:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T22:46:40","slug":"first-b-52s-to-get-new-engines-this-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sawahsolutions.com\/range\/first-b-52s-to-get-new-engines-this-year\/","title":{"rendered":"First B-52s to get new engines this year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two B-52 bombers will head back to their manufacturer for new engines this year, kicking off a long-awaited upgrade meant to help keep flying the Stratofortress until nearly their 100th birthday.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Air Force officials announced that the Commercial Engine Replacement Program had passed a critical design review originally scheduled for 2023. That clears Boeing to begin replacing the B-52\u2019s 1960s-era Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103 engines with new Rolls-Royce F130s.<\/p>\n

The first re-engined B-52s will be tested at Edwards Air Force Base, California, before the go-ahead is given for the rest of the fleet. As the 76 B-52H bombers receive their new powerplants and a radar upgrade, they will be redesignated B-52Js.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoeing, the prime contractor for integration, is procuring and manufacturing parts, and will begin modifying the first two B-52H aircraft into the B-52J configuration at its facility in San Antonio, Texas,\u201d the Air Force said in a press release. \u201cThe first bomber is scheduled to arrive for modification later this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, the Air Force awarded Rolls Royce a $2.6 billion contract to build the F130 engines, which passed their own critical design review in late 2024 and completed operability and altitude testing in February, Defense One<\/em> first reported.<\/p>\n

The B-52 upgrade plan received heavy scrutiny last year after Boeing was blamed for F130 integration problems and after radar-upgrade costs triggered a Nunn-McCurdy Act breach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis CERP critical design review is the culmination of an enormous amount of engineering and integration work from Boeing, Rolls Royce, and the Air Force that will enable the B-52J to remain in the fight for future generations,\u201d Lt. Col. Tim Cleaver, the CERP program manager, said in the news release.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Air Force officials view the engine upgrades as \u201ccrucial for keeping the B-52 Stratofortress a formidable asset in the nation\u2019s long range strike arsenal through 2050 and beyond,\u201d the news release said. The B-52, which entered service in 1955, has flown missions ever since\u2014most recently in the war on Iran.<\/p>\n

The Air Force is developing the next-generation B-21 bomber to replace its B-1s and B-2\u2014but not its B-52s. Even defense experts who want the service to double its planned purchase of 100 B-21s agree that the B-52 will remain relevant.<\/p>\n

\u201cA future force of 200 B-21s combined with remaining B-52s would more than double the Air Force\u2019s current longrange strike sortie capacity,\u201d a February report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies said. \u201cSince more than 70 percent of this force mix would consist of stealthy B-21s, it would also restore the Air Force\u2019s historical capacity to penetrate the most challenging air defenses to deny sanctuaries and attack an adversary\u2019s centers of gravity.\u201d\n\n<\/svg><\/p>\n<\/div>\n