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An upgrade program for the B-52 is currently underway. The old bombers will probably get rid of their weakest part: the old TF33-P-3/103 turbofans from Pratt & Whitney. They are not a very bad thing, they just don’t meet modern standards. Also, the B-52 cannot respond quickly to a changing situation because it takes more than an hour for the plane to prepare for flight.
The B-52 will get new engines, some electronics, and other updates. The improved bomber is projected to serve mid-century. Impressive, right? The B-52s were produced until 1962. This means that the youngest Boeing B-52H will be 88 years old in 2050. However, the engine maker General Electric believes this is too ambitious a goal.
General Electric says that with the company’s CF34-10 engines, the B-52 could fly until 2097. Well, at least as long as the engines can run without removal for maintenance work. Since the B-52’s design perfectly withstood the year’s load, these aircraft, with improved controls, are likely to serve smoothly until the end of the century.
In April, the US Air Force issued a tender for engine manufacturers. This is not the first attempt to replace B-52 engines, but this time the matter is likely to be taken seriously. General Electric will not be the sole bidder in that competition. Pratt & Whitney would like to replace their engines, and Rolls Royce is also actively offering their engines.
Probably more than one wondered why the B-52 is not being replaced by a new bomber. The answer is very simple: because a new plane would do the same, only more expensive. When the B-52 has new engines, the maintenance costs of these aircraft will drop dramatically. Those engines will also be found in commercial aircraft. This means that there will be no shortage of professional parts and technicians in the Air Force. The existing STEALTH B-21 Raider bomber should replace all American strategic bombers: B-1, B-2, and B-52. However, STEALTH features are not always important and the B-21 will be expensive and expensive to use. Also, the B-21 is a top-secret project: why prove it when you can send Grandpa B-52 on a mission?
It is true that General Electric’s claims are not political. Chances are, by 2097, the B-52 still won’t work. Well, unless mid-century it still seems like an old, familiar, and reliable choice for 21st-century tasks.
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