Boeing has delivered the first flight test aircraft under the B-52 Radar Modernisation Programme (RMP) to the United States Air Force. The aircraft will undergo flight testing with the 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, marking a major milestone in the long-term upgrade of the B-52 fleet.
The test aircraft is equipped with the new APQ-188 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a highly advanced system comparable to those used on modern fighter aircraft. The radar provides significantly enhanced detection, tracking and situational awareness capabilities, ensuring the B-52 remains effective against evolving threats.
The RMP is a core element of the B-52’s wider modernisation strategy, designed to sustain the aircraft’s global strike role through to 2050 and beyond. Flight testing at Edwards AFB follows successful ground integration and initial system functional checks carried out at Boeing’s San Antonio facility, where the radar and associated systems were installed and validated.
Data collected during the flight test campaign will be used to refine the system during subsequent developmental test phases. These results will also support the planned retrofit of the radar upgrade across the U.S. Air Force’s operational fleet of 76 B-52 aircraft.
Beyond the radar itself, the RMP introduces a suite of mission system enhancements. These include two Display and System Sensor Processors acting as mission computers to fully integrate the radar with existing B-52 systems. The cockpit is upgraded with two large 8 x 20-inch high-definition touchscreens at the navigator and radar navigator stations, enabling radar imagery, system control and legacy display functions. Two fighter-style hand controllers provide intuitive radar operation.
The modernised system also incorporates upgraded thermal management, including liquid cooling for the radar and engine bleed-air heating to ensure reliable performance in extreme cold conditions.
