Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
6/19/2015
Despite recently expressed industry concerns, the Air Force this week maintained that it is continuing its stated course of action of analyzing the business case for re-engining the B-52, with a hopeful RFP release for the planned program by the end of this summer, a service spokesperson told NS&D Monitor June 18. The update comes the same week that one industry official wrote in an email to NS&D Monitor that he doubted the Air Force would “ever release an RFP to re-engine the B-52,” and comes days after a FlightGlobal article cited Pratt & Whitney Military Engines President Bennett Croswell as saying at the Paris Air Show that the Air Force “decided the postpone the programme” after P&W proposed to re-engine the B-52’s eight TF-33 engines with eight new turbofan engines.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, during an April speech in Washington, said the service anticipates it will move forward with releasing an RFP this summer. “We think we’ll have some data to be able to go forward this summer,” he said. Air Force spokesperson Maj. Melissa Milner reiterated Wilson’s words. “The AF analysis and internal review is expected to be complete late Summer 2015 where a decision will be made if there is a valid B-52 Re-engining business case,” she said. P&W, GE, Rolls-Royce, Florida Turbine Tech and Omega responded to the Air Force’s October-released RFI for B-52 re-engining. The official had expressed the opinion that there is “not enough money in the budget and not enough pull from the warfighter” to allow the release of an RFP.
Wilson said “every industry partner” told him the Air Force could get 35 percent better fuel efficiency on the B-52, which would allow the service to use about one-third less tankers.
