Summary and Key Points: The B-52J, the latest variant of the B-52 Stratofortress, will begin test flights in 2028 and become operational by 2033.
-This iteration features new Rolls Royce F-130 engines for improved fuel efficiency and stealth, a radar system from the F/A-18 Super Hornet, and enhanced weaponry.
-Despite its vintage airframe, the B-52J can carry up to 70,000 pounds of mixed ordnance, including gravity bombs, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons, ensuring its relevance in modern warfare.
-Although it lacks stealth, its massive payload and updated capabilities allow it to remain a key component of the U.S. Air Force.
The B-52J won't begin test flights until 2028, and this latest variant of the B-52 Stratofortress won't become operational until 2033. But when the bomber finally does join the Air Force rotation, it will carry an impressive array of weapons, and it will carry them in strong numbers.
The B-52 has been a stalwart of the U.S. Air Force since the 1950s. Eighty years after its introduction, the bomber is still relevant, with new variants planned to extend the airframe's service life for decades to come. Indeed, the B-52 will likely reach the 100 year mark of active-duty service.
When the B-52 first flew, aviation itself was only 50 years old, so as of today, the B-52 has been in the Air Force for more than half of the time that humans have been flying airplanes. Along the way, it has received consistent upgrades – to avionics, engines, weaponry, and more – allowing the 50s-era airframe to stay useful in a modern air force.
The B-52J is the latest iteration, with a new Rolls Royce F-130 engine that promises to improve fuel efficiency and stealth performance. It also brings a new radar system borrowed from the F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as improved weaponry.
Bomber aircraft serve a single purpose: to deliver weapons on target. So the weapons a bomber carries are central to its purpose, and the B-52 has never been a slouch with respect to weaponry. The Stratofortress can carry up to 70,000 pounds of mixed ordnance, including bombs, mines, and missiles, in a variety of different configurations.
That is a massive payload. World War II-era B-24 Liberators had a maximum payload of 8,000 pounds for short-range flights. The B-52 can also carry nuclear ordnance: Its G and H variants can carry up to twenty AGM-69 SRAM nuclear missiles.
The J variant promises even better weapons capabilities.
“The B-52J is expected to be a versatile platform, capable of carrying a wide range of weapons, from gravity bombs to cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons,” Brandon Weichert writes. “This flexibility will allow the bomber to engage the enemy with ‘affordable mass,’ precision-guided munitions, and highly specialized, ‘exquisite’ weapons as needed.”
The B-52 is somewhat anachronistic, as the rest of the Air Force relies on stealth technology. The Stratofortress, of course, was developed before the advent of stealth, and it is not fit to fly in contested airspace. Still, the Air Force is betting on the B-52 to deliver enough of a payload to compensate for the shortcoming. Sometimes, as Air Force doctrine implies, an old-school bomber – albeit with updated weapons – is sufficiently equipped for contemporary combat.
Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
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