The Air Force’s New B-52J Bomber Has a New Enemy (Not Russia or China)
Story by Reuben Johnson • 20h
A U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 23rd Bomb Squadron sits on the flightline during exercise Prairie Vigilance 25-1 at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, April 12, 2025. Vigilance series exercises are
Key Points and Summary - With B-52J upgrades stumbling, the Air Force is eyeing a larger B-21 Raider fleet.
-Former USAF chief Gen. David Allvin told senators he’d “take all I can get,” as engine and radar modernizations for 76 BUFFs breach cost baselines and slip schedules, including a significant Nunn–McCurdy on the radar.
-The non-stealth B-52J is optimized for standoff weapons, but survivability gaps in contested airspace fuel calls to lift the B-21 buy from the 100-jet minimum toward ~145 and to accelerate production—potentially by shifting B-52J funds—amid rising pressure from Russia, China, and Middle East crises.
The B-52J Bomber: Is It Being Replaced by More B-21 Raider Bombers?
WARSAW, POLAND - Recently, it became known that the US Air Force (USAF) may have to increase the number of B-21 Raider bombers to be procured beyond the initially planned 100 units.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-air-force-s-new-b-52j-bomber-has-a-new-enemy-not-russia-or-china/ar-AA1MPiPg?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=9c50f7a4fbcd456188955915914c586a&ei=79
