The 70-year-old B-52 bomber will basically be 'a new airplane' once it finally gets its upgrades, Trump's pick for [View all]
nuclear command says
The US Air Force is updating its B-52 with new radar technology and engines.
US President Donald Trump's STATCOM nominee said the upgrades make the B-52 basically "a new airplane."
The upgrades are delayed by years and over-budget.
Planned upgrades for the US Air Force's 70-year-old strategic bomber will basically make the aircraft "a new airplane," President Donald Trump's nominee to head US Strategic Command said.
The B-52 Stratofortress has been a workhorse of the Air Force's long-range bomber fleet for decades, proving so indispensable that the service isn't ready to let it go. Modernization will keep it flying at least into the 2050s, though those upgrades have already been hit by delays and cost overruns.
Last week, Vice Adm. Richard Correll told the Senate Armed Services Committee the upgrade program was "essential" to ensuring the bombers can fulfill their intended role in strategic deterrence. New Rolls-Royce engines for the B-52s, he said, were world-class and would, along with upgraded radar technologies, essentially make the B-52 bomber "a new airplane."
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