Modern Engineering Marvels on MSN

The B-52’s new mission: More than a bomber, built for connected warfare

A 65-year-old bomber has just gone into 2026 flight testing with an AESA type of radar in a fighter style, a capability leap that would have sounded like science fiction when the first Stratofortress ...
Defense One

Replacement B-52 test engine deliveries expected in 2027

The planned replacement of aging Pratt & Whitney TF33-PW-103s is intended to keep the B-52s flying after the B-1 and B-2 bombers retire in the 2030s, when the upgraded Stratofortress and ...
Hosted on MSN

B-52 Radar Modernization Nears Flight Testing

The AN/APQ-188 radar upgrade for the B-52 is finally preparing to begin flight testing, following years of delays, cost overruns, and a program review. The U.S. Air Force's long-running effort to ...
Forbes

First Cold War-Era B-52 Upgraded With 21st Century Radar System

Aircrew from the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., land a B-52 Stratofortress following its ferry flight from Boeing’s San Antonio facility on Dec. 8, 2025. The aircraft, ...
Aviation Week

B-52J Radar Heading To Flight Test After Requirement, Cost Review

Credit: U.S. Air Force The U.S. Air Force has taken steps to reduce the required capability of the new radar for its B-52 bomber as a way to reduce costs and improve schedule following a significant ...
Flightglobal

US Air Force begins testing new radar upgrade for B-52 bomber

The US Air Force (USAF) has begun the process of evaluating a new radar for its fleet of Boeing B-52H heavy bombers. A lone B-52H, equipped with a modernised active electronically scanned array (AESA) ...