A filler for the long-lived: a new radar for the B-52
So, in the US, a new program is underway that many are now saying is "critical to maintaining the bomber's relevance into the future." If the bomber, briskly cruising toward its centennial, has any future at all.
We're talking about the new AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array radar for the B-52, or more accurately, being installed on the B-52, as the first B-52 bomber equipped with such an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar has arrived at Edwards Air Force Base for testing.
This is an important but much-overdue measure, one of many that will be achieved as the B-52H evolves into the significantly modernized B-52J. Thanks news On the flight that began in San Antonio, where the upgraded AN/APQ-188 radar system for Raytheon bombers was installed, we also get a good look at the radar, based on a fighter jet's radar, installed in the nose of a B-52. While the new radar certainly looks more modern than its predecessor, the mechanically scanned AN/APQ-166, its operational effectiveness may be questionable.
The legacy AN/APQ-166 radar and the new AN/APG-79 radar mounted under the BUFF fairing.
The flight of this modernized B-52 marks a significant milestone in our bomber modernization efforts. aviation"," Air Force Secretary Troy Meinck said in an Air Force press release. "The radar upgrade ensures the B-52 will remain a cornerstone of American airpower well into the future. We are committed to extending the service life of this vital platform so it can operate alongside next-generation fighters and bombers."
A modernized B-52 arrived at Edwards Air Force Base after flying in from Texas.
The minister is certainly exaggerating about the "cornerstone." A rotten old tree stump would be a fairer comparison. And the "new" radar—well, it's not really that new.
The "new" BUFF radar is based on the AN/APG-79, which equips most F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and all F/A-18G Growlers, as well as the nearly 100 F/A-18A/D Hornets still in service with the US Marine Corps. The AN/APG-82 for the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II is also based on AN/APG-79 technology, but has some design differences due to differences in the aircraft's designs. It is currently one of the Pentagon's most proven AESA systems, based on service life and production numbers.
So, let's be honest, the radar isn't exactly new: testing of the AN/APG-79 began in 2003, and it was accepted into service in 2007. Almost twenty years of service isn't that long, but for an electronic device, it's quite a long time, during which it could easily become obsolete. So, it's a tried and tested radar, nothing more.
This doesn't mean that adapting the radar to the B-52's needs went smoothly. The program went over budget and missed deadlines, forcing the Air Force to seek alternatives. The cost also rose so much that a comprehensive, statutory review of the program's core requirements and cost estimates was required. Flight testing of the first B-52 with the new radar was originally expected to begin in 2024.
It's known that one of the challenges encountered during the program was the physical placement of the new radar in the nose of the B-52. For such a massive contraption as the B-52, this is more than a little odd.
The Air Force continues to refine the system's radome design to address aircraft integration issues. Radar performance may change depending on the final radome design, according to the Pentagon's Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation's latest annual report, published earlier this year. The program office must fully characterize the final radome design to determine operational employment tactics.
Judging by the photographs published so far, the appearance of the B-52's nose has remained virtually unchanged since the installation of the AN/APQ-188. A relatively narrow, different-colored seam is visible between the nose and the cockpit.
A close-up of the nose of the first B-52 to receive the new AN/APQ-188 radar. The seam between the nose and the cockpit is visible.
It's worth noting that the AN/APG-79 antenna installed in the BUFF is angled downward. This is due to its unique location in the B-52, namely on the lower deck under the massive radome. Its upward viewing is limited by the bulkhead above it.
The new radar on the B-52 also features "two display processors and system sensors as flight computers to integrate the radar with B-52 systems, as well as two large 8x20-inch high-definition touchscreens in the navigation and radar stations to display radar imagery, control, and legacy displays, and two fighter-style hand controllers to operate the radar," according to a Boeing press release. "The system features an advanced cooling system that provides liquid cooling for the radar and heated bleed air for operation in very cold conditions."
Another photo of the first B-52 equipped with the new AN/APQ-188 radar arriving at Edwards Air Force Base.
Regardless of the challenges facing the US Air Force's AN/APQ-188 radar modernization program, a derivative of the AN/APG-79, the conversion process has begun and is moving forward. A new AESA radar is truly essential to maintaining the B-52's relevance, and, in America's view, for decades to come.
Simply put, equipping the B-52 with a modern multi-mode AESA system provides a significant boost in capabilities. This is understandable, but the question is how much more effective the new radar will be on an older aircraft.
Overall, AESA radars offer greater range, accuracy, and resistance to countermeasures, as well as the ability to provide better overall situational awareness than mechanically scanned radars. More sophisticated AESA radars offer additional capabilities, including electronic warfare and communications support.
As for the B-52, any new multi-mode AESA system would improve the bomber's target acquisition and identification capabilities, including when used in conjunction with the targeting pods currently available to bombers.
New radars for bombers will also be useful when it comes to targeting weapons to targets at long ranges. The radars can provide additional ground moving target indicator (GMTI) and synthetic aperture radar surveillance capabilities. Radar upgrades can help protect the B-52 from air-to-air threats, including by improving the detection of incoming enemy aircraft or missiles Long-range. The latter, however, is highly questionable, especially when it comes to the latest Russian or Chinese products.
In addition to their tactical advantages, AESAs are generally more reliable, particularly due to their lack of mechanical moving parts. Without the need to rapidly move the radar antenna in multiple directions while the aircraft is subjected to various G-forces, buffeted by turbulence, and during rough landings, the actual time the radar is available for use increases. The aforementioned secondary electronic warfare capabilities also cannot be underestimated. The new radar will undoubtedly become a key and highly powerful component of the B-52's upgraded electronic warfare system, which will be crucial to the aircraft's survival in future combat.
As mentioned, the AN/APQ-188's placement in the BUFF's nose affects its upward-looking capability. However, this is more suited to air-to-ground missions, given the B-52's missions.
By comparison, the AN/APG-79 mounted on the Super Hornet is pointed upward. This is due, at least in part, to the Super Hornet's stealth capabilities. The standard Hornet's antenna pod is positioned nearly vertically, as that platform has no stealth requirements whatsoever. Similarly, the B-52 is about as unstealthy as it gets, so the downward tilt is clearly not dictated by stealth requirements.
This image shows the AN/APG-79(V)4, a special configuration for the Legacy Hornet that can be installed in the bay of the older AN/APG-65/73.
AN/APG-79 installed on the US Navy Super Hornet
The new radar is just one aspect of a comprehensive B-52 modernization program that will result in the aircraft being designated the B-52J.
Even more important than the new radar is the replacement of the aging TF-33 low-bypass turbofan engines with Rolls-Royce F-130 turbofan engines.
The program is already well underway, but is behind schedule and over budget, with full operational capability not expected until 2033. While a fully operational B-52J won't fly anytime soon, the hope is that once completed, the 76-aircraft fleet will remain reliable and relevant until at least 2050, operating alongside the much more modern B-21 Raider.
This cheerful figure of "2050" is, to put it mildly, stupefying. We remember that the last B-52s were assembled in 1962. That means in 2050, these aircraft will be "only" 88 years old. And aircraft manufactured just two years earlier will be 90 years old.
Let's take a step back for a second, literally. Imagine yourself in that place...
It doesn't matter if it's to the left, to the right, or behind you. You're sitting in a very large metal flying coffin that's twice as old as you are, in the worst-case scenario!
Yes, American F-14s have been serving in Iran since 1977, that's 48 years. And I can imagine the feelings of the young pilots who climbed into the cockpits of aircraft that were literally twice their age! That's probably why, during the most recent combat operations involving Iran, the F-14s were completely invisible in the skies. Training flights are one thing, but combat operations under full load and full G-forces are quite another.
This, in essence, answers the question of why Tomcats were so unseen in Iranian skies. Everyone in the Iranian Air Force understood perfectly well that flying such aircraft, especially those equipped with homemade parts, could be very expensive. So they decided to spare the pilots by keeping them grounded.
By the way, they did the right thing. Now they'll buy Sukhoi fighters from Russia, retrain everyone who can fly, and Iran will have a blast.
But it's hard to say how those who climb into the cockpits of the B-52J "miracle bombers" will feel. I wouldn't trade places with them for any amount of money, because dollars are dollars, and a 90-year-old structure that can simply fall apart at 10,000 meters simply because it's 90 years old is something else entirely.
The Air Force currently plans to conduct a series of ground and flight tests of the B-52 with the new AN/APQ-188 next year. According to a Boeing press release, the initial phase of system performance verification was completed before the aircraft's flight to Edwards.
Following successful completion of testing at Edwards, the Air Force will make a formal decision on whether to begin serial production of the radar for installation on the remaining B-52 bombers. Air Force officials recently stated that they expect to achieve initial operational capability for the AN/APQ-188 on the B-52 between 2028 and 2030.
This phase of the program is designed to ensure that we get things right from the start so that we can implement the full radar modernization program,
" said Troy Dawson, vice president of Boeing Bombers.The AN/APQ-188, which will transform the B-52G into the B-52J, is certainly a good thing. But it really does look more like gerontology: lips pumped up with silicone, wrinkles tightened, eyelids injected with Botox. It seems fine, you can sing "the weather in the house." But what to do with tired bones, weakening hearts, and a completely overworked liver is a question. That's in human terms, but in airplanes, it's practically the same. Metal fatigue is something no one can do; it's physics. Old structural metal, old wiring in the electrical circuits buried deep inside the plane, and so on.
All this fuss around the radar seems more like a simple business venture. And really, why not make money on those B-52s, which don't fly very far, if you can?
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