The Air Force is about to start considering alternatives for eventually replacing the B-52 Stratofortress, even as it prepares to upgrade the decades-old aircraft to a J-model featuring new engines, landing gear, avionics, and radar.
Aircraft Propulsion
The Air Force expects to start modifying its first B-52H Stratofortress bomber with new engines and other upgrades later this year, following the successful review of the Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s design.
Research and development spending on the Air Force’s sixth-generation F-47 fighter and its advanced propulsion system is expected to peak in 2028 before dropping in the following years, according to Air Force budget documents.
The Pentagon on March 30 announced a a $3.8 billion contract modification to buy F135 engines for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from contractor Pratt & Whitney.
The Air Force’s propulsion directorate wants to rapidly develop and field new propulsion technologies in the coming years, and plans to use a new, $16 billion contract vehicle to do so, according to a March 13 notice.
The Air Force has awarded multimillion contracts to two industry teams to design small prototype engines for the service’s future Collaborative Combat Aircraft, according to Feb. 23 announcements.
The Pentagon awarded RTX’s Pratt & Whitney a $1.6 billion contract for sustainment work on the F-35's engine on Nov. 28. The deal includes everything from software maintenance to spare parts for the F135 engine and runs through November 2026, spanning a dozen locations around the globe.
Decisive combat airpower is foundational to U.S. national security, crucial both to deterring war and fighting and winning when necessary. Advanced propulsion is among the crucial underlying technologies that give America a decisive edge in air combat.
Pratt & Whitney recently received more than $1.2 billion worth of contracts to sustain the F100 engines flown in older-model F-15s and F-16s.