Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Smart Bombs: Military, Defense and National Security

The U.S. Air Force’s New B-52J Bomber Has Rolls Royce Engines

B-52 Stratofortress U.S. Air Force Bomber
A B-52 Stratofortress assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force base, Louisiana, approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill AFB, Florida, for fuel over the southeastern United States, Dec. 4, 2024. The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The aircraft can carry nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance with worldwide precision navigation capability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Lauren Cobin)

Key Points and Summary: The iconic B-52 bomber may remain in service for close to 100 years due to ongoing modernization efforts, culminating in the B-52J bomber.

-Upgrades include the Rolls-Royce F130 engines, which improve fuel efficiency and performance, and cutting-edge technologies like the Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT) system for advanced communication and situational awareness.

-The B-52J variant will also feature an internal weapons bay upgrade, allowing it to carry precision-guided munitions and new nuclear-capable Long Range Standoff missiles.

-Once an area-bombing platform, the B-52 has evolved into a modern arsenal plane, capable of precision strikes and supporting advanced tactics well into the 2050s.

B-52J: The High-Tech Upgrade That Keeps This Bomber Flying

Could the classic B-52 bomber fly close to 100 years? What seems like a preposterous suggestion could become a reality due to paradigm-changing upgrades, sustainment efforts, and modernization initiatives, which have moved the plane into a 21st-century threat environment. 

Today’s B-52 may essentially operate with the same airframe as it did at its inception in the 1950s, yet it is an entirely different platform in nearly every other respect. Senior Air Force weapons developers talking to Warrior Maven about the B-52 have said the airframes can remain viable for many years beyond their anticipated lifespan, particularly with some structural reinforcements.

New F130 Engine for B-52J Bomber 

The most recent development with continued B-52 improvement pertains to the well-known re-engining effort for the aircraft. For many years, the Air Force has been working with Boeing and Rolls-Royce to integrate a more powerful and efficient engine for the B-52.

Rolls-Royce, Boeing, and the Air Force recently achieved a significant milestone and completed a critical design review of the engine. This development enabled ongoing testing to remain on track. A recently published essay from Rolls-Royce explained that the altitude testing is slated to occur in February 2025 at the US Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Rolls-Royce further explained that the first phases of sea-level tests had also been completed, which helped solidify data analysis for the new engine. The success of the recent testing, according to Rolls-Royce, helped validate the F130 engine’s dual pod configuration as well. 

B-52J to Fly to 2050

The new F130 engine is a critical element of the emerging US Air Force B-52J variant expected to continue flying into the coming decades. While some structural reinforcements were performed on the airframe, the aircraft received an entirely new suite of avionics, computing command and control technology, and weapons configurations. These B-52 advancements have been underway for many years at this point, improvements that will significantly fortify the most recent and cutting-edge B-52J. 

The improvements are multi-faceted, including adding a modernized digital communications system known as Combat Network Communication Technology (CONECT). Not only does CONECT accelerate and refine data transmission, management, collection, and storage, but it also helps the service advance tactics and concepts of operation for the modern B-52. With CONECT, crews conducting operations can now receive in-flight intelligence information and target updates in a way that was not previously possible.

B-52 Bomber. Image: Creative Commons.

B-52 Bomber. Image: Creative Commons.

An interesting US Air Force essay from as far back as 2016 discusses CONECT as the “first major digital upgrade” to the B-52, enhancing communication and situational awareness.  

Using what’s called an ARC 210 Warrior software-programmable voice and data radio, pilots using CONECT can now send and receive targeting data, mapping information, or intelligence with ground stations, command centers, and other aircraft.

Internal Weapons Bay

The B-52 has also received a massive internal weapons bay upgrade in recent years, which has completely changed its bomb-carrying and attack capacity. The 1760 Internal Weapons Bay Upgrade, or IWBU, will allow the B-52 to internally carry up to eight of the newest “J-Series” bombs in addition to carrying six on pylons under each wing.

The B-52 has previously been able to carry JDAM weapons externally. Still, with the IWBU, the aircraft will be able to internally house some of the most cutting-edge precision-guided Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, among others.

Additional weapons upgrades impact the tactical approach fundamental to the B-52, evolving what began as an “area-weapon” into a platform capable of much more advanced precision, long-range attacks. As an area-attack platform, the B-52 has historically been able to drop massive amounts of “unguided” are bombs to blanket an enemy area with attack and also enable ground-forces to maneuver into improved formations. 

B-52 bomber

A U.S. Air Force maintainer conducts a visual inspection of a B-52H Stratofortress at Morón Air Base, Spain in support of Bomber Task Force 21-3, May 24, 2021. Strategic bomber missions enhance the readiness and training necessary to respond to any potential crisis or challenge across the globe. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Allred)

The B-52 is expected to receive the emerging nuclear-capable Long Range Standoff missile. This missile dramatically increases the range and attack possibilities for the B-52, moving beyond its legacy Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM). 

The B-52, which has been nuclear capable for decades, has also been considered an “arsenal plane” or massive “bomb truck” capable of transporting munitions in support of attack missions and potentially even launching drones

B-52 Legacy

The B-52 has a massive, 185-foot wingspan, a weight of about 185,000 pounds and an ability to reach high sub-sonic speeds and altitudes of 50,000 feet, Air Force officials said.

Known for massive bombing missions during the Vietnam War, the 159-foot-long B-52s have in more recent years been operated over Afghanistan and served as far back as Operation Desert Storm. “B-52s struck wide-area troop concentrations, fixed installations and bunkers, and decimated the morale of Iraq’s Republican Guard,” an Air Force statement from many years ago said.

About the Author: Kris Osborn 

Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Written By

Kris Osborn is the Military Affairs Editor of 19 FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven - Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Steve

    January 24, 2025 at 4:58 am

    Why did the Air Force go from the H to the J designation, skipping the “I”?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement