Key B-52 upgrades face cost, schedule risks: GAO
A new audit from the Government Accountability Office found concerns with the Air Force’s modernization of the B-52 Stratofortress, which is planned to fly through the middle of the century.
Air Force mulls ‘maybe’ pulling B-52s from retirement
A program to upgrade the radar for the Eisenhower-era bomber suffered a tragic setback after a fatal crash in California.
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B-52 radar upgrade faces new delays, GAO says
The Government Accountability Office’s annual weapon system assessment also found that the Air Force is moving to field a hypersonic attack cruise missile in 2027, despite delays driving a compressed flight testing schedule.
Air Force considers loosening Air Force One requirements to hit 2027 delivery
A separate Boeing project to integrate a new radar on the B-52 Stratofortress bomber has also suffered a cost breach, said Air Force official Darlene Costello.
Rolls-Royce says future B-52 engine, the F130, passed critical design review
The company is expected to produce over 600 engines to breathe new life into the Air Force’s B-52 fleet, now expected to fly well into the 21st century.
‘No fail’: Air Force officials spotlight cost jumps, delays for B-52 bomber modernization
The pricetag to put new engines on the decades-old bomber has jumped from $12.5 billion to $15 billion, while an effort to integrate a new radar has climbed to $3.3 billion from an original forecast of $2.3 billion, service officials revealed.
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With new radar and engines in sight, the B-52 gets ready for ‘largest modification in its history’
“There's a lot that can go wrong on the program management side,” Col. Louis Ruscetta, senior materiel leader of the B-52 division, said of the bomber's upcoming modernization. “We have to try to manage and reduce what can go wrong."
Rolls-Royce Wins $2.6bn B-52 Engine Contract
Rolls-Royce beat out General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, the latter of whom produced the TF33 engines currently used on the B-52.
Air Force Expects To Award B-52 Engine Contract This Month
A contract for one of three companies is "imminent," per top Air Force officials.
Air Force ‘Not There Yet’ On Key Hurdle For Digital Revolution
Darlene Costello, acting Air Force acquisition head, has issued a guidance document, called the Digital Building Code, for implementing the service's ambitious digital revolution.
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Cold War Era To Modern Mission Success: Digital Engineering Transforms The B-52
Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, and Pratt & Whitney have invested hundreds of thousands of hours of digital engineering on the podded mount for the digital engines to virtually attach to the bomber's wing, as well as on other tests such as understanding airflow properties of the aircraft.
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Applying Risk Reduction And Digital Engineering: The Air Force’s B-52 Re-Engining Program
With hundreds of thousands of hours of digital engineering work done, Rolls-Royce is well ahead of schedule for the F130 engine development.
B-52 Could Get New Hypersonic Missile: Global Strike Commander
"Certainly, we're in the in the conversation for the HACM as that gets developed," Global Strike Command head Gen. Timothy Ray said.
Ray Wants ARRW ‘Soonest’ For B-52, B-1
Combatant Commanders for European Command and Indo-Pacific Command see bombers with hypersonic capabilities as "incredibly, incredibly valuable," says Gen. Timothy Ray.