The B-52 Stratofortress has been utilized by the U.S. army for 70 years. A undertaking at Boeing San Antonio may see the plane used by way of 2050.
The U.S. Air Drive awarded Boeing a $2 billion contract to proceed constructing new engines for the B-52 on Dec. 30. Boeing will set up these Rolls-Royce engines on two check aircrafts at its modification facility at Port San Antonio, in line with a Jan. 6 press launch.
“The modifications will even enhance reliability, streamline upkeep, decrease life-cycle value and allow longer missions — all issues that immediately assist the warfighter,” in line with Boeing. The corporate will check the brand new engines earlier than they go into mass manufacturing for different B-52s.
A Division of Conflict contract announcement stated the work is predicted to be accomplished in 2033 and also will happen at amenities in Oklahoma Metropolis and Seattle.
Port San Antonio employees had been optimistic about Boeing’s success and praised the corporate and its San Antonio staff.
“The Port’s financial influence will develop as Boeing and our different clients proceed to increase. Equally vital, it highlights how San Antonio — and particularly the expertise at Port San Antonio — can carry options to advanced issues by harnessing capabilities throughout sectors together with alerts, cyber, aviation and automation,” stated Port San Antonio President and CEO Jim Perschbach. “We’re thrilled for Boeing and the alternatives this contract will carry to its present individuals and people who Boeing will rent within the close to future.”
In response to the U.S. Strategic Command, the upgrades additionally embody bettering the B-52’s radar system and including a brand new missile launch system.
In 2023, Boeing gained a $367 million contract to work on the B-52 bomber’s radar techniques in San Antonio.
The upgrades will end result within the Air Drive designating a brand new model of the B-52. The present iteration, a B-52H, had been in service since 1961. The brand new mannequin shall be known as a B-52J.
In response to the Air Drive Nuclear Weapons Heart, the aircraft can carry nuclear weapons and fly as much as an altitude of fifty,000 toes.
