The Commercial Engine Replacement Program received Milestone B approval on June 1, creating its first formal cost and schedule baseline. The Radar Modernization Program secured Milestone C approval on August 21, authorizing production to begin.
“These back-to-back milestones reflect the maturity of both programs and the strong partnership between the B-52 Program Office, Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Raytheon,” said Brig. Gen. Timothy Spaulding, portfolio acquisition executive for Bombers and director of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Bombers Directorate. “These programs are delivering the propulsion reliability, sensor capability and electrical power needed to keep this legendary bomber viable, lethal, and supportable well into the future.”
The engine program’s total acquisition cost is set at $20.2 billion. That figure covers research, development, testing, procurement and military construction, with $2.6 billion spent since 2018.
The upgrade will replace the B-52’s original TF33 engines with commercial-derivative Rolls-Royce F130 engines. It also covers hydraulic pumps, cockpit displays, flight systems and generators that will increase onboard electrical-power capacity.
The baseline accounts for the technical and financial demands of installing new systems on a 70-year-old aircraft design. Milestone B allows the engine program to enter the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase.
Early wind-tunnel tests identified airflow distortion at the engine inlet, prompting engineers to redesign the nacelle and inlet. Boeing and Rolls-Royce completed the design review in May 2026 after testing validated the revised configuration.
“CERP is a critical investment in the enduring credibility and capability of the B-52 force,” said William Bailey, performing the duties of the assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. “By establishing a stable cost and schedule foundation, we are positioning the B-52 to provide reliable, long-range strike and deterrence capacity for decades to come.”
Two dedicated test aircraft are scheduled to enter modification at Boeing’s San Antonio facility in the coming months. The aircraft will receive both the engine and radar upgrades during the same modification period.
The radar program will replace the APQ-166 analog radar introduced in the 1980s with the APQ-188 Active Electronically Scanned Array system. The military off-the-shelf radar is related to systems used by the F-15 and F/A-18.
Raytheon Technologies received the radar production contract on August 21, while Boeing secured a contract for aircraft-integration kits. The first low-rate production lot covers four kits.
The Air Force plans to acquire 74 kits across five production lots. The phased approach is intended to support stable production and control costs.
Ground testing of the initial software build demonstrated hardware maturity and reduced integration risks. A Production Readiness Review completed in June 2026 determined that the radar was ready for initial production.
The wider B-52 modernization program includes survivable nuclear command-and-control communications through Extremely High Frequency terminals. Work also covers Hybrid SATCOM for conventional beyond-line-of-sight communications.
Weapons integration includes the latest variants of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. The B-52 will also continue to support hypersonic weapon testing.
The Air Force examined structural conditions across the fleet before approving the engine program for development. The assessments found that the airframes retain sufficient structural and fatigue life to continue operating well into the 2050s and beyond.
