A second Boeing B-52H Stratofortress is being fitted with the AN/APQ-188 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar after the first test aircraft crashed during a flight from Edwards Air Force Base in June, the U.S. Air Force confirmed on Monday.
Col. Spencer Turner, B-52 system program manager, said the second bomber is undergoing modifications at Boeing's facility in San Antonio, Texas. Installation of the Raytheon-built radar is expected to be completed before the end of the year, although Turner did not provide a timeline for the start of flight testing.
Related news
The first B-52 equipped with the new radar flew to Edwards in December 2025 after completing the modification work in San Antonio. The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on June 15 during a radar test mission, killing all eight crew members on board.
According to Turner, the B-52 Radar Modernization Program always included two dedicated test aircraft. The loss of the first bomber, however, forced the Air Force to review the program's testing schedule while investigators determine the cause of the accident.
"Obviously, the crash was not in our original schedule, so we need to look at our schedule and adjust as necessary," Turner said. "The Radar Modernization Program is providing an important capability for our warfighter, for Air Force Global Strike Command."
The radar upgrade is one of the main elements of the B-52J modernization program, which will keep the bomber in service into the 2050s. The aircraft will also receive Rolls-Royce F130 engines, new avionics and other systems designed to extend the operational life of the U.S. Air Force's 75 remaining B-52Hs.
The radar program has also faced budget problems. Earlier this year, the Air Force acknowledged a Nunn-McCurdy breach after costs exceeded statutory thresholds, prompting a review that reduced the scope of the modernization effort.
