The US is banking on a long-delayed radar overhaul to give its venerable B-52 bomber sharper eyes and longer reach, a modernization hailed as essential for keeping the Cold War giant relevant in the Pacific. At the same time, questions swirl around spiraling costs, mounting delays and uncertain survivability against China’s growing reach.
This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that the US Air Force is preparing to begin long-delayed flight testing of the AN/APQ-188 radar system for its fleet of 76 B-52H bombers, following years of cost overruns and schedule slips. The cost overruns represent a Nunn-McCurdy breach, which requires mandatory congressional notification and may lead to potential program review or termination.
The radar, developed by defense contractor Raytheon and based on the AN/APG-79 used in US Navy F/A-18s, is a key component of the B-52 Radar Modernization Program (RMP), which aims to extend the aircraft’s operational life to 2050.
Lieutenant General Andrew Gebara, speaking at a Mitchell Institute event this month, said the radar is expected to arrive at Edwards Air Force Base “very soon” for testing. However, no firm delivery date was given.
Initially slated for Fiscal Year 2024, flight testing was postponed to Fiscal Year 2026 due to challenges in environmental qualification, parts procurement and software integration.
The radar’s installation has also faced physical integration issues, according to reports from the US Department of Defense (DOD) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The US Air Force has reviewed the radar’s capabilities to reduce costs, prioritizing mission-essential functions over full feature sets.
Once upgraded with new engines and systems, the aircraft will be redesignated B-52J. The operational deployment of the radar is now expected between FY2028 and FY2030.
Previously, Asia Times reported that the B-52’s radar upgrade is only one part of a comprehensive modernization effort aimed at keeping the Cold War bomber viable against near-peer adversaries.
The broader B-52J package includes new Rolls-Royce F130 engines, digital cockpits, updated avionics, reinforced pylons and electronic warfare enhancements – all intended to extend service life into the 2050s.
Yet these gains have been accompanied by mounting costs and delays. Funding shortfalls in the Commercial Engine Replacement Program have already pushed the bomber’s initial operational capability to 2033. The program’s Nunn-McCurdy breach ignited debate on whether modernization diverts resources from the stealthier B-21 Raider.
Nevertheless, these improvements aim to transform the B-52 into an “arsenal plane,” emphasizing its capacity to carry a broad spectrum of weapons to enhance mission endurance and strike flexibility.
Major General Jason Armagost told Defense News in February 2024 that the B-52J will carry gravity bombs for “affordable mass,” cruise missiles, precision-guided munitions and “exquisite” hypersonics, adding that he “absolutely” expects hypersonics to become a regular part of the bomber’s future arsenal.
Strategic bombers, such as the legacy B-52 and the new B-21, are poised to be critical assets in a Pacific conflict, playing key roles in countering China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) defenses.
Caitlin Lee testified before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in March 2024 that the B-52, along with the B-21, B-2 and B-1, is part of the US bomber mix needed for a Pacific conflict.
Lee emphasizes that bombers – both stealth and non-stealth – are central because they can put bombs on target within hours if they are postured to do so. She notes that the B-52, though non-stealthy, would operate primarily as a standoff strike platform, launching long-range precision munitions from outside China’s dense air defenses.
Although she points out that the B-52 is less survivable in contested airspace, its value lies in volume fires with cruise missiles and other standoff weapons, provided adequate munitions are stockpiled.
Despite its age, the B-52 has left a deep mark on Chinese analysts. A May 2025 South China Morning Post (SCMP) report cited a People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) study that ranked the bomber as China’s top nuclear threat—surprisingly ahead of stealth aircraft like the F-35 and B-2.
Published in Modern Defense Technology, the assessment highlights the B-52H’s superior payload, which is capable of carrying four B61-12 tactical nuclear bombs – more than any other platform – as well as its upgraded radar and electronic warfare systems.
Researchers concluded the bomber holds the “highest strategic value” in a penetrating counterair (PCA) campaign. To counter this threat, they recommend bolstering air defense, missile interception and electronic warfare capabilities along critical routes.
Aside from building those capabilities, China may opt to neutralize US bombers on the ground in the opening hours of a Pacific conflict, thereby neutralizing a key US advantage before it can be deployed. Yet even as the US pours billions into bomber upgrades, its forward airfields remain dangerously exposed to China’s missile arsenal.
A December 2024 Stimson Center report by Kelly Grieco and co-authors warned that US forward bases in Japan and Guam are highly vulnerable to coordinated Chinese missile strikes.
Grieco and others note that the PLA Rocket Force’s (PLARF) growing arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles, armed with submunitions designed to crater runways, could deny the US access to its critical airfields in the opening phase of conflict.
Furthermore, Thomas Shugart III and Timothy Walton stressed in a January 2025 Hudson Institute report that US airbases in the Pacific suffer from a structural disadvantage in terms of hardening relative to those of China.
Shugart and Walton point out that China has built more than 3,000 hardened and semi-hardened shelters while the US has added only two hardened shelters in the region since the early 2010s, leaving most aircraft exposed on open ramps.
In response to those possible vulnerabilities, the US has been rotating its bombers in the Pacific for unspecified periods, operating from bases such as Misawa Air Base in Japan, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, Amberley Base in Australia and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
Aside from those locations, the US has initiated significant restoration efforts on its abandoned World War II Pacific airfields at Tinian, Peleliu and Yap in an effort to increase survivability and redundancy against a Pearl Harbor-style attack.
Whether the B-52’s radar revival secures its Pacific relevance or leaves it an overextended relic will hinge less on engineering fixes than on its ability to survive China’s expanding missile reach and operate from bases already in the PLA’s crosshairs.
