Increasing Lethality, Warfighting, and Readiness with the B-52

The B-52 Stratofortress has been a stalwart of the U.S. Air Force since the 1950s. From serving as the key component of our air-launched leg of the nuclear triad, to a versatile conventional asset able to drop a multitude of different munitions, the B-52 can do it all.

New engines for the B-52

A key facet of the B-52’s capability is its eight-engine power plant: four engines on each wing, two on each pylon, which gives the bomber global reach. The Pratt & Whitney TF33s have served in this role for decades, but they have reached the end of their useful service life. They have become increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain, increasing cost and reducing availability, ultimately eroding readiness.

The good news is that new engines – Rolls-Royce F130s – will provide a major enhancement to the capabilities of the B-52, all while reducing program risk and saving taxpayers money in the long run. This should be music to the ears of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has made improving lethality, warfighting and readiness as his main lines of effort.  The B-52 reengining program supports all three!

Increasing Lethality

The new engines, being installed under the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP), offer several advantages over the old engines that will enhance our military capabilities.

First, the B-52 will be able to fly farther and with more payload. The Rolls-Royce F130s are significantly more fuel efficient than the TF33s. The resulting increased range and payload capacity will make the B-52 an even more versatile and effective weapon system.

Second, the B-52’s readiness will improve. The F130s are based on a proven commercial engine design – the Rolls-Royce BR family of commercial engines. The millions of flight hours that family of engines has undergone mean improved reliability and reduced maintenance costs for the F130s. That means improved readiness, so the B-52 is available to fly whenever it’s needed.

Bottom line, the CERP makes an already-lethal platform even more so.

Reduced Program Risk & Taxpayer Savings

When the CERP was conceived, the Air Force wanted a program that would be low risk – it had to use engines that had been thoroughly tested, using proven technology and demonstrated reliability.

The result was the F130 engine, derived from the Rolls-Royce BR700 family, which has been on commercial airliners for over 20 years.

Moreover, the CERP is a fixed-price contract, so the government won’t pay extra for any cost overruns or schedule delays, an issue with more than a few weapons programs.

The fuel efficiency of the F130s will also save money by reducing the overall fuel cost per mission, and their improved reliability will reduce maintenance costs as well.

Finally, we can’t forget the alternative – if we don’t extend the service lives of our 76 B-52 bombers, the alternative is to purchase brand-new bombers. Imagine the cost of developing and procuring new heavy bombers.

B-52 the Backbone of U.S. Bomber Fleet

The B-52 remains the backbone of the U.S. bomber fleet for both nuclear and conventional purposes.

For its leg of the nuclear triad, the B-52 carries AGM-86B air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs), which can strike targets with precision from hundreds of miles away. The B-52 can also carry nuclear gravity bombs internally, and the B-52 will carry the AGM-181 Long Range Stand Off weapon as it enters the inventory to replace the AGM-86B.

Conventionally, the B-52 has a wide range of options. It can carry bombs – either gravity bombs, or laser guided bombs, such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), as well as cluster bombs.

It can also carry a variety of missiles, from conventional versions of the nuclear ALCMs, anti-radiation missiles to target enemy radar systems, to anti-ship missiles.

In a heavily maritime theater like the Indo-Pacific, the B-52 will be instrumental in taking out ships with those missiles and deploying sea mines in strategic locations.

The B-52 has a large internal bomb bay and can mount weapons on external hardpoints under the wings. It also has rotary launchers enabling it to deploy multiple types of weapons.

Coming soon: hypersonic missiles

As America grows its hypersonic missile capabilities, there is no doubt that the B-52 will have a role in their deployment and use.

The B-52’s ability to carry a diverse range of weapons makes it a highly flexible and adaptable platform, with uses from strategic bombing to close air support, and can deliver both nuclear and conventional firepower. In fact, just in the month of February, the B-52 has deployed to Europe for Bomber Task Force 25-2, dropped live munitions in the US Central Command Area of Responsibility, and conducted a show of force mission in  Estonia, flying within 50 miles of the Russian border on the 3^rd anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. 

All of this makes re-reengining the B-52 one of the smartest investments the Air Force could make to improve America’s lethality, warfighting, and readiness, all while saving precious taxpayer dollars.

This article was originally published by RealClearDefense and made available via RealClearWire.