WASHINGTON, May 11, 2026 (Agencies) — The U.S. Air Force is set to begin a historic modernization of its iconic B-52 Stratofortress fleet this year, marking the first step in a program designed to keep the bombers flying well into the 2050s.
Officials announced Monday that the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) has successfully passed its critical design review, clearing Boeing to begin upgrading two B-52H aircraft with new Rolls-Royce F130 engines. The milestone, originally scheduled for 2023, allows the long-awaited re-engining effort to move forward after years of scrutiny and delays.
The first two aircraft will be modified at Boeing’s facility in San Antonio, Texas, later this year. Once completed, they will undergo testing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, before the rest of the fleet receives upgrades. As each of the Air Force’s 76 B-52Hs is modernized with new engines and radar systems, they will be redesignated as B-52Js.
“This CERP critical design review is the culmination of an enormous amount of engineering and integration work from Boeing, Rolls Royce, and the Air Force that will enable the B-52J to remain in the fight for future generations,” said Lt. Col. Tim Cleaver, program manager for CERP.
The modernization effort follows a $2.6 billion contract awarded to Rolls-Royce in 2021. The F130 engines passed their own design review in late 2024 and completed operability and altitude testing earlier this year. The upgrades are expected to replace the bombers’ aging Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines, which date back to the 1960s.
Despite challenges—including radar upgrade costs that triggered a Nunn-McCurdy Act breach and integration issues blamed on Boeing—the Air Force insists the program is vital. Officials describe the new engines as “crucial for keeping the B-52 Stratofortress a formidable asset in the nation’s long-range strike arsenal through 2050 and beyond.”
The B-52, first introduced in 1955, has remained a cornerstone of U.S. airpower for more than seven decades, flying missions from the Cold War to recent conflicts. While the Air Force is developing the stealthy B-21 Raider to replace its B-1 and B-2 bombers, the B-52 will continue to serve alongside the new fleet.
A February report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies argued that a force of 200 B-21s combined with upgraded B-52s would more than double the Air Force’s current long-range strike capacity, restoring its ability to penetrate advanced air defenses and strike critical targets.