1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i B-52 Re-Engining Program Begins Updated September 27, 2021 On September 24, 2021, the U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to Rolls-Royce, Indianapolis, IN, for 608 new engines to replace the TF33 engines powering the B-52H S
2、tratofortress bomber fleet, in a contract running up to 17 years. The initial contract is for $500.9 million, but with spare engines, technical data, support equipment, and sustainment, the contract could ultimately be worth $2.6 billion, and may include 650 engines. Rolls-Royce has 18 months to del
3、iver initial engines. The Air Force currently operates 76 B-52Hs, the most recent of which was built in the 1960s. The Air Force now expects to operate them until 2050. The last TF33 engine was built in 1985. (For more on the B-52 fleet, see CRS Report R43049, U.S. Air Force Bomber Sustainment and M
4、odernization: Background and Issues for Congress.) Figure 1. Engine Mounting on B-52 Source: U.S. Air Force This re-engining effort (officially the Commercial Engine Replacement Program, or CERP) had been in the works for some time, as the Air Force had announced its plans to extend the B-52s servic
