The 1960s-era bomber will fly into the 2050s, but not without a lot of help.
The B-52H fleet, already nearly 60 years old, has been the recipient of a steady but slow stream of upgrades to keep the planes useful. The Air Force is now committing to flying the bomber into the 2050s, a feat that will require even more improvements.
The U.S. Air Force ordered 102 B-52H bombers during the Cold War, with the first planes delivered in May 1961. The old eight-engined warhorse has been in continuous service ever since, flying combat missions over the former Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Air Force plans to keep flying the remaining 76 B-52Hs through 2050, with some almost certainly flying until 2061. The B-52H will be the longest-serving warplane in history, serving longer than the newer B-1B and B-2A bombers.
“The aircraft was built in 1960. If you walk in the cockpit it looks like a 1960 cockpit. It flies like a 1960 airplane,” Col. Robert Burgess, 307th Operations Group commander told Defense News.
The B-52H fleet, already nearly 60 years old, has been the recipient of a steady but slow stream of upgrades to keep the planes useful. The Air Force is now committing to flying the bomber into the 2050s, a feat that will require even more improvements.
According to Defense News, the B-52H fleet is in the middle of receiving new LCD displays, onboard computers, and communications links. This is coupled with a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar allowing it to detect more targets on the ground and at sea farther than ever before. The result is a warplane that collects more data on enemy forces, passing it upstream to commanders through secure data links, and downloads new data collected from other sources to help it achieve its mission in the face of enemy threats.
The B-52H fulfills both conventional and nuclear missions and will receive improvements to its ability to carry both. The bomber will double the number of weapons it can carry internally and will carry the new Long Range Standoff (LRSO) nuclear or conventionally armed cruise missile. A B-52H was also used recently in captive carry tests of the new Air Launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW (“Arrow”) hypersonic weapon system, though it it is not clear the bomber will actually the hypersonic missile once it is ready.
The B-52H will outlast both the B-1B Lancer and B-2A Spirit bombers, both of which will be replaced by the B-21 Raider currently under development. By 2050 the Air Force’s bomber fleet will consist of 100 relatively new B-21s and around 76 century old B-52H—-quite an unusual mix to say the least.
(Source: Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics- 24/9/2019)
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a29194843/b-52-upgrades/
