The B52 was designed in the 1940’s and the last of them was built in 1962. Amazingly, the USAF plans on keeping them in service till 2040, which would make the B52, from conception to death, so to speak, a 100 years old. This article http://www.fastcompany.com/online/54/B52.html describes how the USAF plans on maintaining them.
By: Vahe.D - 25th May 2024 at 17:20
The B-52 marked the 70th anniversary of its first flight two years, and in April 2023 the US Air Force allocated the designation B-52J to the scheme to have the B-52H fleet re-engined with the F130 turbofan (which means the engine nacelles will be fitted with eight F130s, two per nacelle) and fitted with new modern radar, improved avionics, the AGM-181 cruise missile, communication upgrades, new digital displays replacing old analog dials, new wheels and brakes, and other improvements. How many B-52Hs will be converted to B-52J configuration is unclear, because the B-52H fleet is over 60 years old and there are less than 75 of them in service.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/re-engined-b-52-b-52j/
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/02/12/the-new-b-52-how-the-air-for…
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December 17, 2001 at 12:04 pm