B-52 Stratofortress Completes Successful Flight After Modernized Radar Installation

A B-52 Stratofortress has flown successfully and safely from the Boeing Company’s San Antonio facility to Edwards Air Force Base, California, after it received a new radar system.

This installation was completed as part of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program, and it showcases the United States Air Force’s commitment to keeping the aircraft mission-ready for conventional and nuclear long-range strike capabilities.

On December 8, a crew from the 49th Test Evaluation Squadron at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and the 419th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB, Calif., flew the aircraft from Boeing’s facility.

Throughout 2026, the test team will continue flight test and ground test activities on the modified B-52 to identify the best opportunity for beginning larger-scale production.

The new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar system offers enhanced all-weather navigation as well as targeting capabilities. Boeing integrated the AESA radar—developed by Raytheon—into the B-52.

Boeing has also upgraded the radars on the U.S. Air Force F-15 and the US Navy F/A-18.

“The ferry flight of this upgraded B-52 marks an important moment in our efforts to modernize the bomber force,” said secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink.

Meink continued, “This radar modernization ensures that the B-52 will continue to serve as a cornerstone of American airpower well into the future. We are committed to extending the life of this vital platform, allowing it to operate alongside next-generation fighter and bomber aircraft.”

The B-52 Radar Modernization Program aims to modernize the B-52 since its planned service life now extends through 2050. It will now operate as the long-range strike complement to the Air Force’s B-21 Raider.

The fleet of 76 B-52s are also scheduled for additional upgrades, including:

• New engines
• Crew compartments
• Conventional and nuclear communication systems
• Avionics
• Weapons

The aim of these upgrades is to ensure the B-52s can perform the full spectrum of combatant command and USSTRATCOM-directed missions.

“This milestone ensures our future Airmen inherit a modernized, ready Air Force,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach.

Wilsbach added, “The B-52 Radar Modernization Program is about more than technology, it’s about readiness, deterrence and the ability to fight and win. The B-52 remains a powerful example of how we fly, fix, and fight to sustain global strike capability.”

“The B-52 will continue to serve as an unmatched symbol of U.S. airpower,” Wilsbach noted, “With these upgrades, the aircraft will remain ready to execute our nation’s deterrence and strike missions for decades.”