A B-52H Stratofortress undergoing programmed depot maintenance is towed into a hangar at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, July 28, 2025.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Courtney Landsberger)
The United States Congress legally mandated that the United States Air Force maintain a fleet of 44 operational Rockwell B-1B Lancer long-range heavy bombers, with the aircraft expected to remain in service until the late 2030s. The Lancers are operated by the 7th Bomb Wing, 9th and 28th Bomb Squadrons out of Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and the 28th Bomb Wing, 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
The U.S. Air Force also has just 76 operational Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers, with 58 operated by the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota. An additional 18 Stratofortress aircraft are in the reserve force operated by the 307th Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB.
There are currently 19 North B-2 Spirits in service with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
The bomber fleet size is now the smallest it has been since World War II, and far fewer than the massive numbers of active bombers at the height of the Cold War.
At issue is the fact that the last B-52 was manufactured in 1962, with the 100th and final B-1B delivered in May 1988. Even as great efforts have been made to keep the bombers flying, time is taking its toll. That has resulted in mission-capable rates falling to dangerously low levels.
According to recent reports, the mission-capable rate for the B-52 dropped to 54% in fiscal year 2024, down from 59% in FY22 and from 65.73% in 2020. The situation is as bad with the B-1B Lancer, which has seen its mission-capable rate fall from 55% in FY22 to 43% in FY24.
North Star Readiness Campaign
To address mission readiness, this week the Air Force Global Strike Command, in a strategic partnership with Air Force Materiel Command and the Defense Logistics Agency, announced the launch of the “North Star Readiness Campaign,” a sweeping initiative that was aimed at increasing the number of mission-capable B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer aircraft.
“The North Star Readiness Campaign is our commitment to ensuring the warfighter has the nation’s bomber force ready to go at a moment’s notice,” explained Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of AFGSC. “This is a team effort. It brings together the operators at Air Force Global Strike Command, the acquisition and sustainment experts at Air Force Materiel Command, and our logistics partners at the Defense Logistics Agency to focus on one thing: operational readiness.”
The goal is to ensure the bombers will be available when needed, but the North Star Readiness Campaign is also about sending a clear message to America’s adversaries, Davis suggested.
“By modernizing these incredible platforms and ensuring our maintainers have the parts and support they need, we are sending a clear message to our adversaries and allies alike that the United States’ long-range penetrating strike capability is, and will remain, second to none,” Davis continued.
The program seeks to break down barriers and streamline the maintenance pipeline, addressing challenges in the supply chain, and improving engineering support to increase the number of mission-capable bombers. The changes are small but potentially effective.
One effort includes ensuring that critical sustainment of the remaining operational bombers and upgrades – which both the B-52s and B-1Bs are receiving – are addressed as efficiently as possible to maximize readiness. That is being accomplished by “putting all the key stakeholders in one place,” the Air Force noted. That can reduce delays and help ensure that teams aren’t waiting longer for critical parts.
“Air Force Materiel Command is committed to sustaining legacy fleets and improving readiness for today and tomorrow,” added Lt. Gen. Linda Hurry, commander of AFMC. “Our constant engagement with Global Strike leadership and joint logisticians has helped us reinvigorate the supply chain and return these airframes to the fleet faster after depot maintenance, increasing bomber capacity and capability. It is a privilege to support the dedicated maintainers who work tirelessly to keep these critical combat platforms flight-ready.”
The North Star Readiness Campaign is also employing lessons developed by those at the tactical level and from airmen who have worked on the aircraft firsthand, according to the air service that is already producing measurable results.
“The NSRC started as a concept at the strategic level, but we have also received ideas directly from the flight line,” said Chief Master Sgt. Shane Anderson, the NSRC change management lead. “For example, our Airmen built a localized playbook to optimize the phase maintenance process, which drastically reduced maintenance timelines while strictly maintaining safety and security. They are the ones with the hands-on experience, and we would be remiss if we didn’t leverage their expertise to drive these improvements.”
Expected Upgrades
The final B-52 may have been produced in 1962, but the modern B-52H is still a very different aircraft. It can carry modern cruise missiles and is equipped with advanced digital avionics and electronic countermeasures. Current plans call for the 1960s-era Pratt & Whitney TF33 engines to be replaced with new Rolls-Royce F-130 powerplants. The new engines are roughly 30% more fuel-efficient, eliminate the iconic black smoke trail, and are expected to last the rest of the jet’s service life without an overhaul.
FILE PHOTO: An air-to-air front view of a B-52G Stratofortress aircraft from the 416th Bombardment Wing armed with AGM-86B Air-Launched Cruise Missiles (ALCMs). (Photo by USAF)
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In addition, the remaining Stratofortress bombers will see the aging legacy radar systems replaced with a modern Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) AN/APQ-188 radar – derived from advanced fighter tech and built by Raytheon – to drastically improve ground mapping, target tracking, and navigation in electronic warfare environments. The outdated analog gauges and dials will also be updated with digital cockpit displays, alongside upgrades to power generation, electrical distribution, wiring, and pneumatic/hydraulic systems.
The changes, notably the new engines, will result in the aircraft being redesignated the B-52J.
The active fleet of B-1B Lancers will also undergo upgrades that include the addition of Load Adaptable Modular pylons, which reactivate six dormant external hardpoints that have been used on the bomber for more than three decades due to past nuclear treaties. That will increase the Lancer’s precision-weapon capacity by roughly 50%, allowing it to carry up to 36 weapons, including hypersonic platforms.
The B-1 Embracing Agile Scheduling Team, of “BEAST,” is a rapid-modernization software suite package that will deliver multiple vital technological upgrades together to streamline the aircraft fleet. It will add advanced tactical data communications for real-time situational awareness and networking, and update the Identification Friend or Foe system.
A B-1B aircraft passes over the ocean while on a flight out of Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, during Exercise Giant Warrior ”89. (Photo by USAF)
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The U.S. Air Force currently plans to keep the B-1B and B-2 Spirits in service until the late 2030s as the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider, the service’s next-generation bomber, is delivered. Only when significant numbers of the B-21 are available will the Air Force begin to retire the legacy bombers. The B-52s could remain flying for nearly a full century, with plans to keep them in service until the 2050s.
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