GAO urges Air Force to pause B-52 engine replacement and adopt digital tools
The Air Force must reassess engine-replacement timing and update sustainment plans for the B-52 fleet, which the service expects to operate through 2050.
The Government Accountability Office issued six recommendations urging the Department of the Air Force to delay the Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP) production decision and to incorporate digital-engineering tools across B-52 modernizations. GAO found that ten of the 13 B-52 upgrades are experiencing cost, schedule, or performance challenges, and that CERP costs have risen by about $3 billion while initial operational capability has slipped more than 15 months. The Air Force plans to start engine production before completing critical developmental flight testing, a risk the agency accepted in 2023.
GAO also noted that the Air Force is not consistently applying the 2023 Department of Defense guidance to use digital engineering, such as digital twins, in program development. The lack of assessment means the service may be missing efficiency gains and could encounter future sustainment and supportability problems.
Maintenance of the B-52 fleet occurs at a repair depot roughly every 4 years, and current depot capacity analyses assume CERP will be completed on schedule. Existing parts shortages for the current engines and the absence of contingency planning for engine-delay scenarios could jeopardize readiness. GAO therefore recommends updating the B-52 repair plans, revising the Modernization Platform Integration Plan, and clarifying life-cycle management responsibilities for support equipment.
The Air Force has partially concurred with GAO's recommendation to delay the CERP production decision and fully concurred with the remaining five recommendations. GAO will track agency actions and report on implementation status.
The review was mandated by a Senate report provision and draws on acquisition and sustainment documentation, site visits to the B-52 program office, depot, and logistics center, and interviews with officials. The public version of the report was issued in July 2026, with certain schedule and mission-capable data omitted as sensitive.