The US is gearing up the long finger of its corporate airpower against a close-knit struggle with China in the Pacific by turning the ancient B-52 bomb into a cutting-edge warplane.
The US is planning major upgrades to its long-serving B-52 bomb, according to The War Zone’s report this month. These improvements may alter the bomb from the Cold War into a warplane capable of flying for a millennium after its first flight.
The B- 52 upgrades include fresh engines, a modern aircraft, AESA sensor, updated avionics, improved pylons, digital warfare enhancements and superior weapons. Upgraded B- 52s, designated the B- 52J, may be in support until the 2050s, serving alongside the B- 21 Raider.
The War Zone notes that fresh engines may significantly reduce the cost of maintenance, enhance the trip period between sorties, and offer a variety of administrative benefits when discussing the specifics of the B- 52J improve package. The Rolls-Royce F130 is the candidate for the turbine swap, according to the document.
The War Zone says the B- 52J may be upgraded with the AN/APG- 79 sensor, providing greater variety, fidelity, countermeasure resistance, positional awareness, electronic warfare capabilities and air- to- air surveillance and tracking. The B-52J will be able to follow moving water and surface targets and provide guidance for connected weapons traveling long distances thanks to the radar.
The B-52J’s targeting seed may be slaved to the new sensor, and vice versa, which will aid in physical specific recognition. It further explains that the B- 52J’s lengthy loitering period and payload flexibility work well with the new radar for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Regarding connectivity, The War Zone reports that the B- 52J will feature enhanced satellite communication, improved GPS, Link 16 datalinks and advanced communication suites for networked battlefield integration, enabling it to strike targets beyond the range of its sensors.
For armaments, The War Zone states that the US Air Force plans to arm the B- 52J with hypersonic weapons to engage high- priority, time- sensitive targets at standoff ranges. The B-52J’s weapons payload, which includes precision-guided bombs, naval mines, stealthy air-launched cruise missiles, swarming drones, and long-range air-to-air missiles, could be significantly increased by new underwing pylons and internal rotary missile launchers.
In explaining the B- 52’s longevity, Jeff Schogol notes in an April 2019 article for The National Interest that, unlike fighters, the B- 52 does not need to perform high- G maneuvers. According to Schogol, many B-52s worked for the US Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) during the Cold War, which meant they did n’t fly as many missions. These circumstances most likely preserved their airframe integrity to outlast their successors, the B- 1 Lancer and B- 2 Spirit.
Additionally, according to Asia Times, the B- 1 supersonic bomber was supposed to partially replace the B-52, but maintenance issues have limited its capabilities and prevented it from retiring before it is too late.
Due to the decline in close air support missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the B-1 fleet’s ability to engage in low-altitude supersonic flight is constrained. This restriction reduces the main goal of the aircraft’s development, which was to launch a supersonic bomber to attack Soviet air defenses. As a result, the B- 1 fleet is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2036.
The B-2 stealth bomber was built to operate at low subsonic speeds and avoid detection by Soviet air defenses. However, due to cost concerns, the US capped production of the B- 2 at just 21 planes and halted production in 2020, in stark contrast to the 76 current- generation B- 52Hs in service. At$ 2 billion per plane, it was deemed too expensive to restart B- 2 production.
In a May 2024 TNI article, Peter Suciu points out that the B- 21 may be limited by a low production rate and limited numbers, but the B-52’s non-sealed design may restrict its use in disputed airspace.
Suciu points out that whereas the USAF anticipates 24 to 30 B-21s to be operational by the early 2030s, older bombers like the B-52 and B- 1 had a much higher annual production rate of 20 aircraft. He makes the point that the B- 21 might not be available in sufficient numbers as soon as possible.
In accordance with that, the B-52J may experience delays akin to those on the B- 21. The B-52J is facing a three-year delay, which is pushing its initial operational capability to 2033, according to a US Government Accountability Office ( GAO ) report released this month.
According to the GAO report, the delay is brought on by funding inefficiencies affecting the B-52 commercial engine replacement program, which wo n’t receive a critical design review and contract until August 2025. It mentions that additional delays are linked to the B- 52 Radar Modernization Program, which experienced a 12.6 % cost increase from its 2021 estimate. The cost now totals$ 2.58 billion.
Despite those setbacks, the GAO report notes that the AGM- 181 long-range standoff missile, which is designed to replace the B-52’s AGM- 86B ALCM, is making progress toward reaching its 2030 initial operational capability.
Additionally, China’s rapidly advancing air defense capabilities may limit the longevity of upgraded B- 52Js. According to an interactive map released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative ( AMTI), China has all of the South China Sea and its neighbors within the reach of bombers, fighters, and surface-to-air missile ( SAM ) sites.
AMTI says that from Woody Island, Subi Reef and Mischief Reef China can launch J- 10 and J- 11 fighter jets and H- 6K bombers, with those features defended by long- range HQ- 9 SAM sites.
A Chinese fighter over the South China Sea came within 10 feet of a US B-52 bomber in October 2023. The fighter was carrying out a risky maneuver that almost sparked a collision. That action might give a hint about China’s strategy in battling other stealthy aircraft like the upgraded US B-52Js.
The South China Morning Post reported this month that China is planning to unveil its H- 20 stealth bomber, which is the US’s takeover of the B-2 and B-21, to prevent being left behind in bomber modernization.
The H- 20 is still secluded and has no confirmed launch date despite persistent rumors of its imminent readiness, according to the newspaper.
According to the SCMP, the H- 20 is anticipated to have a flying wing structure, a hard- to- detect coating and the capacity to transport both regular and nuclear weapons over a distance of at least 8, 500 kilometers. It also adds that the H- 20 will form the air- based leg of China’s nuclear triad.
The H- 20 is said to be in place of the aging H- 6 strategic bomber, which struggles to compete with contemporary US and Russian models like the supersonic Tu- 160, stealth B- 2 and long-serving B- 52.