Spirit AeroSystems has reported a contract award from Boeing to provide engine pylons and nacelles for the initial phase of the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Programme (CERP). The total CERP effort is expected to replace 608 engines on the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of B-52H models.
As part of the CERP contract, Spirit will support extending the life of the B-52 Stratofortress through at least 2050. The B-52 first entered the U.S. Air Force fleet in 1955.
From the first flight in April 1952, Wichita played a major role in the manufacturing of the B-52 As all B-52H models were built there. By the end of its original production run in 1962, over 700 B52s had been built, the majority of them in Wichita, whose legacy with the U.S. bomber fleet dates back to B-29 Superfortress production during World War II.
