<p >Work on the modernisation of the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 bomber fleet to the B-52J next generation standard has faced a further major hurdle, as cost overruns with the B-52 Radar Modernisation Program have triggered a law requiring the Air Force to notify Congress – a Nunn-McCurdy cost breach. The Nunn-McCurdy Act requires the services to inform Congress when a program’s cost or schedule estimate has increased substantially from its approved level, with the B-52 radar unit cost increase referred to be sources as “significant.” The extent of the overrun remains unconfirmed. The radar program is intended to replace theB-52’s long since obsolete AN/APQ-166 mechanically scanned array radar with a cutting edge AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array radar, which represents one of the most costly parts of bringing the B-52 up to the B-52J standard. This and other cost overruns have fuelled speculation that the Air Force will be forced to <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/sentinel-icbm-b52j-uncertain-future" >make deep cuts</a> to the bomber program. The B-52 is the only one of three bomber classes currently in service in the U.S. Air Force that is expected to remain operational beyond the mid-2030s, with the U.S. Air Force having already made deep cuts to its <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/u-s-bomber-fleet-may-shrink-temporarily-as-troubled-b-1b-lancer-faces-likely-early-retirement" target="_blank">problematic B-1B </a>bomber fleet, while the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber fleet is scheduled for an early retirement due to its high operational costs and the growing obsolescence of its stealth capabilities.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/12/article_682145ffeeee74_66033721.JPG" title="B-52 and B-2 Bombers"></p><p >Regarding the AN/APQ-188, officials have cited issues from “delays with the display and sensor processor” as “the primary cause” of cost overruns, highlighting that “the processor’s fibre optic converter – which provides communication between processors – did not work in testing.” A report from the Government Accountability Office U.S. congressional watchdog on June 18, 2024, confirmed that alongside major cost overruns with the B-52J, <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/further-delays-b52-modernisation-cost-overruns" >major delays</a> meant that the aircraft would only begin to become available with even a limited initial operational capability in the year 2033. “The program noted that there have been program delays in part due to funding shortfalls to complete the detailed design, but that it has worked with the contractors and submitted budget requests to support critical design review in August 2025 and initial operational capability in mid-fiscal year 2033,” the report observed, highlighting that delays “are a result of underestimating the level of funding needed to complete the detailed design activities. Alongside a new radar, a central part of the&nbsp; upgrade program is the integration of eight Rolls-Royce F130 engines on each aircraft to replace their Pratt &amp; Whitney TF33s, which although costly will have the benefits of reducing maintenance requirements and increasing range. The B-52 is intended to operate as part of a complementary pairing of bombers alongside the <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/industry-increase-output-b21-larger-fleet" target="_blank">B-21 Raider</a> next generation stealth bomber.</p>
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