B-52 Re-engine program
The iconic Cold-war era Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bomber is getting its 1960s-vintage Pratt & Whitney TF33-103 engines replaced by more-efficient commercial replacements. The re-engine program will keep the colossal aircraft operational until 2050 and meet the high-power demands for next-generation weapons, a fire control radar, and other electrical systems.
The B-52 is the most combat capable bomber in the U.S. inventory with 76 units completely operational. Due to its high mission-capable rate, large payload, long range, persistence and ability to employ both nuclear and conventional precision standoff weapons. The B-52s has eight engines in four pods, two under each wing. the Air Force overhauls each TF33 every 6,000 flight hours, as a rule, a process that costs $2 million per ...