It appears that Rolls Royce North America will re-engine the B-52

[Engineman1960]

The Rolls Royce F-130 Engine will power the B-52 for the next 30 years !!!!!!!l

Rolls-Royce North America selected to power the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program

Rolls-Royce North America selected to power the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program

www.rolls-royce.com

More information on the B-52 re-engine program:

F130

American jobs, American engines:

www.rolls-royce.com

https://media.defense.gov/2020/Feb/21/2002253097/-1/-1/1/HN2-%20B-52%20RE-ENGINING.PDF

 

[Jason Freeland]

About time they decided to do that, they've only been talking about it forever.

 

[RickN]

Needed to be done many years ago and I think they should put an updated version back in production.

 

[Hodrod]

The B52 is like the energizer bunny.....it just keeps going & going & going............

 

[Jason Freeland]

Needed to be done many years ago and I think they should put an updated version back in production.

They are working on a palletized cruise missile launcher, that can be used on cargo planes. One drop test has been done already, with a mass simulator and further tests are coming. A C-17 can carry a crap ton of JASSM-ERs. Edit: Link

Our Best Look Yet At 'Rapid Dragon' Cargo Plane-Launched Stealth Cruise Missiles In Action

 

[RickN]

They are working on a palletized cruise missile launcher, that can be used on cargo planes. One drop test has been done already, with a mass simulator and further tests are coming. A C-17 can carry a crap ton of JASSM-ERs. Edit: Link

Our Best Look Yet At 'Rapid Dragon' Cargo Plane-Launched Stealth Cruise Missiles In Action

They were talking about doing that with 747s many years ago, but as usual nothing ever came of it. That is our biggest military problem, to many committees, to many chiefs, and to many political types looking to make money off each project. Oh and I forgot, to many planners looking the the next big thing instead of incremental improvements. We could learn from the Russians and their SU-27, 30, 33, 35 aircraft.

 

[Jason Freeland]

They were talking about doing that with 747s many years ago, but as usual nothing ever came of it. That is our biggest military problem, to many committees, to many chiefs, and to many political types looking to make money off each project. Oh and I forgot, to many planners looking the the next big thing instead of incremental improvements. We could learn from the Russians and their SU-27, 30, 33, 35 aircraft.

I remember that, the Arsenal plane concept. They were mostly looking at nuke warheads for that though, this would be conventional. This one looks to be simple enough to actually get in production.

 

[Jason Freeland]

For projects they never did, I liked the B1R proposal to turn them in to big fighter bombers. They would have been great at SEAD missions and long range counter air. But then again I did read all those old Dale Brown books, it just might have prejudiced me towards souped up bombers.

 

[JoeUSooner]

My father (now deceased) was an electronics engineer. He spent a 38-year career as a civilian contractor to the AirForce, working on the onboard computers on B-52s at Tinker AFB. He loved those big birds...

 

[RickN]

Yea the Buff and Herkybird are 2 of the best aircraft ever designed and the C-130 is the only one we have kept in production while doing serious updates on. It is still being copied to this day.