US Air Force faces $276 million per B-52 upgrade bill

The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Bombers Directorate has granted $17 million in Other Transaction Agreements to Magee Technologies, Sierra Nevada Corporation and Northrop Grumman to create a comprehensive integration plan for an Extremely High Frequency satellite communications upgrade on the B-52 Stratofortress. Lt. Col. Michael Case said the effort will ensure the bomber remains a highly capable, network-centric element of national defense.

This contract is a small fraction of a larger modernization program that includes a $20.2 billion engine replacement, a $3 billion radar upgrade and a $34 million digital cockpit conversion. According to the Government Accountability Office, the total cost of these upgrades will average about $276 million per aircraft, or more than $21 billion for the entire fleet. The B-52, first flown in the 1950s, now numbers 76 in the inventory, with 58 operational, and continues to serve because of its payload capacity, range and nuclear capability despite its age. The GAO cautioned that the program could benefit from better risk management to avoid further cost growth.