The 51-year-old B-52H needs a new radar, and Global Strike Command chief Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson said Thursday he would be quite satisfied having the AN/APG-81, which equips the F-35 fighter, installed on the bomber. Speaking with reporters after Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event in Arlington, Va., Wilson said the F-35 radar would be an “80 percent solution” to what the B-52 needs, but offers big operating cost benefits: by buying the AN/APG-81, the Air Force could increase the production run and further reduce unit costs on the radar. Also, as with potential re-engining of the B-52, Wilson said the radar would sharply reduce maintenance costs on the bomber, thus defraying the cost of the new capability. The longer the B-52 serves, the more savings would accrue, he said. The precedent for both upgrades is the KC-135 re-engining and digital upgrade, which has saved money and vastly extended the KC-135’s service life, he said.
This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these…
