Rolls-Royce and the U.S. Air Drive validated the F130’s means to satisfy efficiency necessities for the B-52 missions, getting nearer to flight testing.
Engine maker Rolls-Royce introduced on Feb. 24, 2026, the profitable completion of altitude and operability testing for the F130 engine on the U.S. Air Drive Arnold Engineering Improvement Complicated (AEDC) in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The engine will energy the upgraded B-52J strategic bomber, changing the older TF33.
The testing was essential for gathering essential efficiency information on the engine’s efficiency by recreating precise flight situations and matching it with simulated pc modelling. The work will now transfer additional into system integration and dual-pod testing on the NASA Stennis House Heart in Mississippi, mentioned Rolls-Royce.
Late in 2023, Rolls-Royce had mentioned it was on monitor to finish preliminary F130 engine testing and was persevering with the Fast Twin Pod testing at Stennis. In December 2024, Rolls-Royce accomplished the F130’s Important Design Overview (CDR), paving the best way for ultimate growth and the check campaigns.
Rolls-Royce accomplished F130 altitude and operability testing for the U.S. Air Drive B-52J at AEDC in Tennessee. That is the engine that can change the 60 12 months outdated TF33s and maintain the Stratofortress related for many years. Take a look at engines on monitor for Boeing supply in 2027.
The outdated… pic.twitter.com/m6wyKwkaI1
— Fahad Naim (@Fahadnaimb) February 25, 2026
F130 engine exams
Rolls-Royce mentioned within the press launch {that a} joint crew from the U.S. Air Drive and Boeing validated the engine’s efficiency in demanding mission situations. Three most important areas have been included within the testing:
altitude exams, whose objective was to display sustained efficiency for long-duration, high-altitude strategic missions typical of bomber plane;
operability testing with distortion screens, meant to copy turbulent, real-world airflow and make sure engine stability underneath the stress and vibrations brought on by turbulence;
Built-in Drive Generator (IDG) testing with Boeing, which allowed to make sure steady and dependable electrical energy throughout all mission situations.
Rolls-Royce additionally touched upon the Fast Twin Pod testing on the NASA Stennis House Heart, the place the F130s have been examined for the “first time within the distinctive dual-pod configuration” for the B-52. In truth, equally to the TF33 engines, the F130s will probably be put in in pods every internet hosting two engines.
“These exams performed a key function in validating Rolls-Royce’s analytical predictions, additional de-risking the combination of the F130 engine onto the B-52J,” the discharge added.
The corporate had additionally carried out sea-level testing of the First Engine to Take a look at (FETT) in mid-2024. That trial ran the preliminary software program launch for the F130 within the newly refurbished Take a look at Cell 114, and generated very important efficiency information that validated Rolls-Royce’s analytical predictions in crosswind situations.
A mannequin of a B-52J present process wing tunnel testing for the brand new Rolls Royce F130 engine nacelles. It’s exhausting to think about that an plane designed within the Nineteen Fifties is receiving new engines in 2023! The longevity of this Boeing design is unbelievable. #avgeeks #aviation #aviationdaily #USAF pic.twitter.com/XxSzOGjycb
— Air Energy (@RealAirPower1) September 3, 2023
The ocean-level and crosswind exams of the FETT at Cell 114 laid the groundwork for the Important Design Overview (CDR) that the corporate later accomplished and introduced in December 2024. Rolls-Royce described Take a look at Cell 114 as a state-of-the-art facility supporting growth testing and manufacturing acceptance campaigns, and had invested $1 billion in modernizing its Indianapolis services, which can manufacture, assemble and check the F130 engines.
“Subsequent, this system will transfer into additional system integration and dual-pod testing at Stennis, marking one other milestone within the propulsion growth. All through the testing program, engineering and design groups have gathered essential efficiency information to validate modelling and additional verify that the F130 engine is the proper match for the B-52J re-engining program,” the discharge mentioned.
Officers’ statements
Jennifer Schwerin, Rolls-Royce’s Director of Early Life-Cycle and Naval Packages highlighted the “on-time and on-budget” progress of the F130 CERP effort within the launch. “Working carefully with our companions at Boeing and the Air Drive, our crew has demonstrated the F130’s means to satisfy mission necessities and additional strengthened confidence that this engine is the proper alternative for the B-52J,” mentioned Schwerin.
The B-52 has been serving the #USAF for over 70 years.
Now, our testers with the International Energy Bombers Mixed Take a look at Drive are guaranteeing it stays dependable, fashionable and built-in for @AFGlobalStrike into the 2050s.
Victory begins at Edwards. @HQ_AFMC pic.twitter.com/RzYmWfppJW
— Edwards Air Drive Base (@EdwardsAFB) February 21, 2026
“All through this F130 engine check marketing campaign, we gathered important information about how this engine operates throughout the total spectrum of flight situations,” mentioned the U.S. Air Drive’s Program Supervisor for the B-52 CERP, Lt. Col. Timothy Cleaver, quoted within the launch. “Finishing the collection of exams at AEDC’s world-class facility provides us confidence within the engine and related programs as we proceed into check plane modification and flight testing.”
B-52J’s CERP and RMP packages
The Industrial Engine Substitute Program (CERP) program was launched to swap out the B-52H’s current TF33 engines, now out-of-production, with the newer F130 engines. The challenge took one other step ahead on Dec. 23, 2025, when Boeing Protection Methods acquired a $2.04 billion activity order to proceed the work on the CERP for the post-CDR section.
Rolls-Royce says the F130 engines will prolong the lifetime of the B-52 plane, permitting it to fly for 30 extra years, and are sturdy sufficient to “stay on wing for the rest of the plane life.” The F130 is derived from the Rolls-Royce BR household of economic engines that has been in manufacturing for 12 years, with greater than 1,000 engines flying immediately and counting over 30 million hours of operation.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’re on monitor to finish preliminary F130 engine testing for the @usairforce B-52J by the tip of this 12 months.
Discover out extra about our progress:
#B52 #testing #F130 #rollsroyce #USAF pic.twitter.com/r5GCq0suFb
— Rolls-Royce (@RollsRoyce) September 7, 2023
The Radar Modernization Program (RMP) is the opposite most important element of the broader B-52J challenge. This system replaces the legacy AN/APQ-166 radars with the brand new AN/APQ-188 Energetic Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar.
The AN/APQ-188 is derived from the F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornet’s AN/APG-79, and likewise borrows some options from the AN/APG-82 that equips the F-15E and F-15EX. The primary B-52 built-in with the AN/APQ-188 was ferried to Edwards AFB, California, on Dec. 8, 2025.
Barksdale AFB’s forty ninth Take a look at and Analysis Squadron and Edwards AFB’s 419th TES at the moment are conducting intensive trials of the brand new radar to validate the aptitude and efficiency parameters envisaged for the B-52J improve. The radar will present an upgraded all-weather navigation and concentrating on functionality, probably with floor shifting goal indication and artificial aperture radar capabilities.
