B-52 radar upgrade contracts awarded
The US Air Force awarded contracts totaling $766 million to upgrade the radar on the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. The contracts were issued on Tuesday, with RTX's Raytheon receiving a $603 million IDIQ contract and Boeing receiving a $163 million contract.
The US Air Force awarded contracts totaling $766 million to upgrade the radar on the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. The contracts were issued on Tuesday, with RTX's Raytheon receiving a $603 million IDIQ contract and Boeing receiving a $163 million contract.
Contract Details
The first award is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract capped at $603 million. RTX’s subsidiary Raytheon will produce and sustain new radars for the B-52 fleet. The second award is a fixed-price contract with a maximum value of nearly $163 million. Boeing, the prime contractor for the B-52, will supply bomb rack modernization kits that support the Radar Modernization Program (RMP).
| Contractor | Contract Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| RTX (Raytheon) | IDIQ | $603 million |
| Boeing | Fixed-Price | $163 million |
Both companies have requested a comment from the Air Force.
Radar Upgrade Overview
Raytheon will install the AN/APQ-188 radar, replacing the older AN/APQ-166 sensor. This overhaul is one of 13 planned upgrades designed to keep the Eisenhower-era bomber operational into the middle of the century. The entire modernization effort is expected to cost about $21 billion, a figure that can be compared to other aircraft modernization budgets stats.
The radar upgrade itself has seen its budget rise 30 percent to over $2.9 billion, a change that triggered a Nunn-McCurdy breach. The Air Force now expects RMP to be operational in the third quarter of fiscal 2030, which is three-and-a-half years later than originally projected.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Radar upgrade budget | $2.9 billion |
| Total program cost | $21 billion |
The Air Force has implemented cost-control measures and removed unspecified performance requirements to accelerate deployment. A Government Accountability Office report noted that after the contract award, the Air Force will receive less capability while paying more for the program.
Program Risks and Schedule
Boeing leads modernization efforts for the B-52, including RMP and an engine-swap plan. Both initiatives have experienced cost and schedule growth, and are still at risk according to a recent GAO report. The Air Force planned to buy radars directly from RTX to smooth depot work.
The program also suffered a tragic setback in June when one of two flight-test aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California, killing all eight crew members on board. Results from the mishap investigation have not yet been released.
A second aircraft is expected to be modified this year to support flight testing for the radar upgrade, and it is unclear what impact the crash will have on the program’s overall schedule. In a briefing with reporters on July 27, Col. Spencer Turner, the B-52 system program manager, said officials are prioritizing the mishap investigation and that officials will "look at our schedule and adjust as necessary."
The flight test incident involved two aircraft, a process that requires detailed squadron-level coordination squad. The crash raised concerns about safety, a matter that has been documented in injury reports injuries.
