Washington January 7 2026 (Agencies) – The US Air Force has awarded Boeing Defense Systems a contract worth more than $2 billion to begin replacing engines on the B-52H Stratofortress, marking a major milestone in the long-term modernization of the iconic Cold War-era bomber fleet.
According to a Pentagon contract announcement dated December 23, the task order under the Commercial Engine Replacement Program requires Boeing to modify two B-52 aircraft with new engines and related subsystems, followed by extensive testing. The work will focus on development and systems integration and will be carried out after the program’s critical design review.
The Commercial Engine Replacement Program is a cornerstone of a broader effort to extend the operational life of the Air Force’s 76 B-52 bombers, some of which are more than 60 years old. The modernization is intended to keep the aircraft in service into the 2050s and potentially as late as 2060, which would see the bomber operating for nearly a century.
Under current planning, the Air Force aims to field a future bomber force centered on upgraded B-52s alongside at least 100 Northrop Grumman-built B-21 Raider stealth bombers. As part of this transition, the service plans to retire its B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers during the 2030s as maintenance costs and technical challenges increase.
The B-52 overhaul program, estimated to cost $48.6 billion in total, is so extensive that the aircraft will be redesignated as the B-52J. In addition to receiving new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, the bombers will be fitted with a modernized radar, upgraded avionics and communications systems, new wheels and brakes, and digital cockpit displays to replace legacy analog instruments.
The Air Force recently marked progress on the radar upgrade portion of the program after the first B-52 equipped with a new Active Electronically Scanned Array radar flew to Edwards Air Force Base in California in December. The Raytheon-built AN/APQ-188 Bomber Modernized Radar System is designed to improve navigation and targeting performance in a wide range of weather conditions.
Boeing will conduct the engine replacement and associated modernization work at facilities in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; San Antonio, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pentagon said the work under the current contract is expected to be completed by the end of May 2033.