A B-52 Stratofortress is parked on the tarmac at the “Great Texas Airshow” in May 2026. Aerospace firm Boeing is scheduled to begin work on the first two upgraded B-52Js this year. (U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Kevin Jones)

The Latest B-52 Stratofortress Upgrade Is Coming Out This Year

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The B-52J, the latest iteration of the venerable B-52 bomber, will include new fuel-efficient engines and various other technical updates.

The B-52 Stratofortress has undergone many upgrades since its introduction in August 1954. Yet its most recent designation change came just seven years after initial production, when the first B-52H was delivered to the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command.

The final B-52H rolled off the assembly line in October 1962, marking the end of all B-52 production. Updates and improvements have continued on the B-52H, but none have been significant enough to warrant an update to the aircraft’s designation—until now. Later this year, 64 years since the B-52 assembly line was shut down, the Air Force will receive its first B-52J.

The US Air Force announced on Monday that the B-52J Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) had completed its Critical Design Review (CDR), the “pivotal........

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