Boeing delivered the first B-52 Stratofortress equipped with a modernized radar to the U.S. Air Force for flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The aircraft completed a ferry flight this week from the company’s San Antonio facility following installation of the new radar as part of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program.
B-52 Flight Testing
Testing will be conducted with the Air Force’s 412th Test Wing after ground integration and initial system checks were completed in Texas.
The aircraft is fitted with an APQ-188 active electronically scanned array radar, replacing the legacy system.
Boeing said the upgrade is intended to improve situational awareness, targeting and aircrew survivability.
“The new radar will significantly increase B-52 mission effectiveness by improving situational awareness, speeding target prosecution and enhancing aircrew survivability in contested environments,” Troy Dawson, vice president of Boeing Bombers.
Data collected during testing will be used to inform subsequent developmental phases and a planned retrofit of the Air Force’s 76 operational B-52s.
According to Air Force Public Affairs, a combined crew from the 49th Test Evaluation Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB ferried the aircraft on Dec. 8. Flight and ground testing is scheduled to continue through 2026 to support a production decision.
“The ferry flight of this upgraded B-52 marks an important moment in our efforts to modernize the bomber force,” Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said. “This radar modernization ensures that the B-52 will continue to serve as a cornerstone of American airpower well into the future.”
Previous Upgrade Delays
Flight testing of the AN/APQ-188 radar for the B-52 had originally been planned to begin earlier but was delayed as officials worked through challenges related to environmental qualification, parts procurement, software development and physical integration of the system into the aircraft. The Air Force disclosed earlier this year that rising costs triggered a cost breach for rising beyond thresholds set by the Nunn-McCurdy Amendment. This prompted additional scrutiny of requirements and affordability for the project.
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