The B-52's engine upgrade is a VERY BIG DEAL

Well, the B-52 might just fly forever,

but its 1960s era engine certainly

won't. And that's why it's such a big

deal that the Mighty Buff is finally

getting all new and much more efficient

turboan engines. Now, the B-52

Stratafortress has been a staple of

American air power since 1955

with the last new B-52 airframe

delivered to the Air Force like 64 years

ago now. But despite its advancing age,

this heavy payload strategic bomber

keeps finding new uses for the Air

Force. In fact, the B-52 is now expected

to stay in service for the foreseeable

future, while new bombers built to

replace it, like the B1B Lancer, aren't

expected to see the end of the 2030s.

So, how has the B-52 managed to stay

airborne for so long when much newer

aircraft like the A10 are considered too

outdated for the modern fight? Well, it

really comes down to a combination of

the B-52's design intentions and the

role it ultimately found itself filling

for the Air Force. The B-52 was

overengineered right from the start,

partially because it was being fielded

amid a rapid technological transition

from prop driven to jet powered

aircraft, but also because the bomber

was always meant to be capable of

delivering nuclear weapons. Now, that

means the B-52 needed to be able to fly

great distances with massive payloads

with plenty of space to add upgrades

down the road while still being tough

enough to withstand air-to-air combat

back when even the B-52 came equipped

with a tail gunner. As the years pressed

on, all that extra space for upgrades

came in really handy, and the B-52

became America's premier missile truck

and honestly, a lot more with its

external pylons. Originally rated to

carry huge 5,000lb munitions and later

upgrades aiming to increase that to

nearly 20,000, B-52s have become

priceless air launch test platforms,

deploying everything from the Mach 6.7

rocket powered and manned X-15 back in

1959 to the Air Force's latest AGM 183

Arrow hypersonic missile in testing just

last year. And like the B-52's missile

truck role, these jobs don't require

aggressive wingbending flying to be

accomplished. And that is important

because it's played a huge role in the

B-52's longevity. Newer bombers like the

B1B Lancer were designed for low-level

penetration flying, flying nap of the

earth and maneuvering around the

terrain. In comparison, B-52s fly a lot

more like commercial airliners, engaging

targets from so far away that the

massive buff doesn't even show up on

radar. But believe it or not, the B-52

is still flying with the same eight

practically ancient Prattton Whitney

TF33 turbo fan engines that it started

out with, each of which produces around

17,000 lbs of thrust and the B-52's

classic smoke trails. Now, despite

limited upgrades over the years, these

engines are just way too old to keep in

service. In fact, they've been out of

production for as many years as I've

been alive. And you won't be surprised

to hear that engine technology has

actually matured a lot since then. So,

now the B-52 will receive eight new

Rolls-Royce F-130 turboan engines

derived from their much more efficient

BR725

commercial engine. Now, these new power

plants will produce that same 17,000 lbs

of thrust, but while offering much more

range, more loiter time, and a huge drop

in maintenance requirements. Now, we

can't say exactly how much more range

the B-52 will get from these engines.

Estimates currently span from as little

as 10% to as much as 30%. But we can

speak to how this range extension is

being accomplished. You see, the B-52's

current engines were derived from

earlier turbo jets, and they have an

extremely low bypass ratio, or the

amount of air that passes around the

engine core versus the amount that's

compressed, mixed with fuel, and ignited

within it. Now, low bypass engines are,

broadly speaking, a lot less efficient,

but a lot better at producing power.

That's why modern fighter engines also

have very low bypass ratios today. And

back in the 50s, that was just about the

only way to get enough power onto this

bomber to make it fly. So, while today's

B-52 engines have a bypass ratio of only

around 1.2:1,

its new F-130s have a bypass ratio of

4.2:1, 2 to one, meaning the engines

effectively move a lot more air with a

lot less work, making them way more

efficient in how they burn fuel without

any compromise in speed or payload

capacity. And that's actually just the

beginning of this B-52 upgrade. So, let

me know if you want to hear more.

Hey,

hey, hey, hey.