The U.S. Air Pressure is launching subsequent yr a Heavy Bomber Evaluation of Options which can enable to find out necessities for future B-52 upgrades or a completely new heavy bomber.
The U.S. Air Pressure is launching in 2027 a research to find out necessities for future upgrades to the B-52 Stratofortress or a completely new heavy bomber. The event, first reported by Aviation Week, is talked about within the Air Pressure Analysis, Improvement, Check & Analysis Quantity IV of the finances request for Fiscal Yr 2027.
Heavy Bomber Evaluation of Options
The research is included within the B-52 System Enhancements mission, which the service describes as a “complete mission to facilitate future capabilities and make sure the B-52’s viability in performing present and future wartime missions.” The broader mission consists of the Superior Wing Weapon Pylon (AWWP), the Lengthy Vary Anti-Ship Missile/ Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Missile (LRASM/JASSM) Integration, the Superior Weapon Integration and the Heavy Bomber Evaluation of Options.
The latter is the place the Stratofortress’ attainable substitute is talked about for the primary time: “A Heavy Bomber Evaluation of Options will start in FY27 to research the long run lengthy vary strike necessities to find out future B-52 necessities and prices and/or a brand new heavy bomber plane configuration and prices.”
The research is talked about as soon as once more whereas detailing an Superior Idea Demonstration effort, which supported a labeled Proof of Idea demonstration on the B-52 and concluded in FY 2025. No info was offered in regards to the scope of the demonstration.
The doc then offers one other description of the research:
“New heavy bomber evaluation of alternate options will start preliminary planning actions to develop key efficiency parameters, key system attributes, and extra efficiency attributes for a follow-on heavy bomber within the USAF. The FY27 work scope will embrace key planning actions for programmatic, necessities, capabilities, and vendor choices that might discipline sooner or later.”
The service requested $1 million for the research in FY 2027, whereas the broader Superior Ideas Demonstration included $3.872 million in FY2025. For the reason that demonstration was accomplished, no funds have been requested in FY 2026, with the brand new improve completely devoted to the New Heavy Bomber Evaluation of Options.
The relation between the labeled demonstration and the evaluation is unclear. The truth that it was described as a proof of idea might level to the dedication of the long run B-52 necessities talked about within the first description of the mission, fairly than a direct seek for a successor.
B-52’s Future
As talked about in our earlier reporting, the U.S. Air Pressure is anticipating to fly the B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber not less than till 2050. The bomber, whose youngest instance was delivered in 1962, will even survive the newer B-1B Lancer and B-2A Spirit bombers.
The service is the truth is a blended fleet of 76 upgraded B-52Js and not less than 100 new B-21 Raider stealth bombers. With the fielding of the brand new bomber, the Stratofortress would concentrate on standoff strikes solely.
So as to have the ability to be related on this position, the bomber will endure heavy upgrades which can convey it from the B-52H configuration to the brand new B-52J configuration. Regardless of some delays within the improvement of the upgrades, the modernization applications replicate the Air Pressure’s long-term dedication to the B-52.
Two crucial elements of the B-52J improve are the Radar Modernization Program and the Industrial Engine Alternative Program (CERP). The previous already produced a primary modified plane which is at the moment present process flight testing, whereas the latter will see modification works beginning on the primary plane later this yr.
The brand new radar, Raytheon’s AN/APQ-188 – additionally known as the Bomber Modernized Radar System – is supposed to exchange the out of date mechanically scanned AN/APQ-166 that has been in use because the Chilly Struggle. The AN/APQ-188 is an energetic electronically scanned array (AESA) radar derived primarily from the AN/APG-79 discovered on the U.S. Navy’s F/A-18E/F Tremendous Hornet and EA-18G Growler, with extra parts from the AN/APG-82 of the U.S. Air Pressure’s F-15E and F-15EX.
By leveraging present, confirmed designs, the Air Pressure aimed to manage prices whereas giving the B-52 entry to trendy multi-mode AESA capabilities. Nonetheless, this method additionally meant reassessing which options have been actually obligatory for the B-52’s mission.
For the B-52, the brand new radar is anticipated to boost goal acquisition, probably with floor shifting goal indication and artificial aperture radar capabilities. Moreover, though it’s optimized for air-to-ground roles, the brand new radar might nonetheless retain air-to-air capabilities to the bomber defend in opposition to air-to-air threats.
The brand new engine, the Rolls Royce F130, the army model of the BR725 engine utilized by the Gulfstream G650 enterprise jet and already powering each the C-37 and E-11 BACN, is supposed to exchange the bomber’s present Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103. The latter has been in use because the Nineteen Sixties, and can now not be supportable past 2030 as manufacturing ceased within the Nineteen Eighties.
The new engines will improve the bomber’s gasoline effectivity, improve vary, scale back emissions in unburned hydrocarbons, and considerably scale back upkeep prices. Whereas their total form remains to be the identical, the brand new nacelles of the F130 engine are larger than the unique ones, whereas the brand new struts are shorter and get the nacelles nearer to the wing.
The Air Pressure deliberate to finalize integration actions and ship the primary lot of B-52Js within the 2026-2027 timeframe, with preliminary operational functionality initially anticipated in 2030 however later delayed to 2033. Full fleet re-engining might not be accomplished till 2036, whereas a timeline for the brand new radar has not been disclosed.
