Overview
- A test-configured B-52 crashed in California on June 15, killing eight crew and pausing developmental flight testing for the radar upgrade.
- Program managers said they will resume radar development using a second Stratofortress that is already being modified and that installation of the full Raytheon AESA suite is expected this year.
- The original plan called for two dedicated test aircraft but officials have not confirmed whether the program will retain that two-bird test posture or when flight testing will restart.
- The radar modernization has previously triggered a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach and a GAO warning for limited integrated flight testing, which raises the risk of costly rework and schedule changes after the crash.
- The modernization aims to create a B-52J to keep about 75 Stratofortresses flying into the 2050s and may lead planners to reclaim stored aircraft from Davis-Monthan, while the crash is prompting safety reviews and could affect crews and communities tied to the program.