A B-52 Stratofortress flies over Ostrava, Czech Republic, during the NATO Days airshow in September 2025. Around 60 B-52s are still in active duty in the US Air Force, out of a total of 744 built. (Shutterstock/Victor Maschek)

America’s B-52 Bombers Will Cost At Least $276 Million to Upgrade—Each

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The cost of keeping the B-52s in the air is roughly 10 times higher than their original construction cost during the 1950s and early 1960s.

The United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Bombers Directorate has awarded “Other Transaction Agreements” (OTAs), collectively valued at $17 million to three aerospace and defense contractors for “in a continued effort to modernize the B-52 Stratofortress fleet.” The Air Force will pay Magee Technologies LLC, the Sierra Nevada Corporation, and Northrop Grumman to jointly develop a “comprehensive integration strategy” to upgrade the B-52’s Extremely High Frequency (EHF) satellite communications link.

“These awards represent an important step toward modernizing the B-52’s communications infrastructure,” said Lt. Col. Michael Case, materiel leader, B-52 Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) Branch, with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Bomber’s Directorate. “By partnering with these companies, we are ensuring that this aircraft remains a highly capable and connected component of our national defense strategy for decades to come.”

The upgrades are meant to provide the Cold War-era bombers with “highly secure, survivable, and resilient communication lines,” to allow the remaining B-52s to accomplish their........

© The National Interest