B-52 Upgrade Contracts Awarded to Raytheon and Boeing for $766M

The US Air Force has awarded two major contracts to Raytheon and Boeing for upgrades to the B-52H Stratofortress, a Cold War-era bomber. The total value of the deals is over $766 million.

Raytheon Technologies received an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $603 million to equip B-52s with new AN/APQ-188 radars. These radars are derived from those used in the F-15 and F/A-18 fighters and will allow for better navigation and targeting in all weather conditions.

The Boeing contract, valued at $163 million, is for the production of bomb rack modernization system kits to support the B-52's Radar Modernization Program. This program aims to replace the legacy mechanical AN/APQ-166 radar with a modern active electronically scanned array radar and will also include upgrades to other key systems.

The upgrade work on the new radars has been put on hold due to the recent crash of a test B-52 at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The incident killed all eight crew members aboard, but the Air Force is continuing with the upgrade process and plans to have a second B-52 modified with another APQ-188 radar by the end of the year.