In a 62-page unclassified audit, the congressional watchdog highlighted that the Air Force plans to transition into production with virtually no developmental flight testing completed, placing the multi-billion-dollar effort at significant risk.
Disruption Across Subprograms
The U.S. Air Force originally projected a total budget of $21 billion to modernize its fleet of 76 B-52 aircraft. However, the GAO identified disruptions—stemming from cost increases, schedule slippages, or performance shortfalls—in 10 out of 13 separate capability enhancement subprograms.
The report noted that the 13 subprograms are executing concurrently, warning that hardware modifications within a single program directly impact others, exponentially increasing technical complexity.
Core Upgrades and Fleet Changes
Key structural and system overhauls under the overarching modernization effort include:
- Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP): Replacing legacy engines with powerplants supplied by Rolls-Royce.
- Radar Modernization: Replacing existing APQ-166 radars with high-precision Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) systems manufactured by Raytheon.
- Communications & Weapons: Integrating six new communication systems alongside next-generation, long-range, nuclear-capable cruise missiles.
- Cockpit & Avionics: Incorporating new flight data recorders, advanced targeting pod displays, and two new training simulators.
These technological updates and cockpit reconfigurations will allow the Air Force to reduce the flight crew size from five to four.
Overruns Exceeding 30 Percent
According to GAO data, both the Rolls-Royce engine replacement and the Raytheon AESA radar integration projects have suffered cost increases of more than 30 percent compared to early development estimates, alongside schedule slippages exceeding three years.
The watchdog warned that initiating low-rate initial production nearly parallel to developmental testing deprives decision-makers of critical data, laying the groundwork for further cost escalation.
GAO Recommendations: Delay Production
The GAO recommended that the Secretary of the Air Force delay the engine production decision until a comprehensive risk-benefit analysis accounting for recent cost growth and schedule drift is completed. Furthermore, the audit urged a more aggressive adoption of modern digital engineering practices to maintain control over the acquisition process.
Air Force Response
The U.S. Air Force concurred fully with five of the report's recommendations, but only "partially concurred" with delaying the engine production milestone.
"This does not mean the program should intentionally delay the CERP production decision," wrote Colonel Timothy Spaulding, Air Force Director of Bombers, in an official response. Spaulding added that efforts to construct digital models of the B-52 fleet and implement digital engineering tools are already underway.
Long-Term Fleet Viability
The last B-52 Stratofortress was delivered by Boeing in 1962, yet the Air Force plans to keep the bomber operational into the 2050s.
However, the GAO report underscored persistent operational challenges, revealing that due to parts obsolescence and supply chain bottlenecks, the fleet exhibited relatively low mission-capable rates between FY2011 and FY2021—meeting its targeted readiness goals in only four of those 11 fiscal years.