The B-52 Bomber’s New Engines Cost A Fortune

[rebewranger]

The B-52 Bomber’s New Engines Cost A Fortune

ByPeter SuciuPublished2 days ago
 
Sticker shock has struck most anyone in recent weeks who has filled up their car’s gas tank or walked the aisles of a grocery store. Inflation continues to drive up prices for everything from daily items to durable goods. Simply put, most Americans are having to do more with less.


Meanwhile, the U.S. military faces some sticker shock of its own.

According to Air Force Magazine, the cost of upgrades to the B-52 Stratofortress is running considerably higher than what some U.S. Air Force officials expected. The cost of re-engining, which is needed to keep the aging Cold War-era bombers in service through the 2050s, has reportedly increased by 50% – and it is not just because materials cost more.

Air Force acquisition executive Andrew P. Hunter acknowledged the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program’s price hike in testimony to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. 

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/05/b-52-rolls-royce-new-engine-cost/

[sneakypete]

Is there anything about B-52's that doesn't cost a fortune?

Then again,they have been in production for so long now that there is a ready supply of replacement parts,and the USAF hasn't even tried to replace them because they just can't find anything that would work better.

AND......,it is a hell of a lot cheaper to manufacture parts that you have been manufacturing for decades than it is to tool up to manufacture spare parts for brand new series of bombers.

Frankly,I can't imagine a better or more efficient design. If there was one,the zoomies would have been demanding it be put into production.

If it ain't broke,don't try to fix it.

[Wingnut]

That beautiful Big Ugly Fat F*cker is the one consent through all the years.  America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But the BUFF has marked the time. It is a part of our past,  It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

[sneakypete]

That beautiful Big Ugly Fat F*cker is the one consent through all the years.  America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But the BUFF has marked the time. It is a part of our past,  It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

@Wingnut

You don't really understand the concept of "power" until you have stood by a runway when a flight of these things that were heavily loaded for bombing missions in NVN were taking off.  You can literally FEEL the power as they start rolling. The sound waves just wash right over you.