Most B-52 upgrades behind schedule or over budget, GAO finds

Ten of the 13 programs meant to keep the B-52 flying into the 2050s are over budget, behind schedule or underperforming, a federal watchdog found, including new engines and radar.

The findings, in a new report from the Government Accountability Office, come as the Air Force spends an estimated $21 billion to keep the 76 aging bombers flying decades past their planned lifespan. The two costliest programs, new engines and radar, are running over on all three counts.

The engine program is the biggest. Costs have risen 38% since 2018, to more than $15 billion. Development has slipped 32 months. Flight testing is now four years late. The Air Force plans to start building engines the same quarter it starts testing them.

The radar program is smaller, but costs are up more than 30%, to $2.9 billion. In May 2025, the Air Force told Congress it had breached a federal cost limit. It also cut five of 25 performance requirements. GAO concluded the Air Force will get less capability while paying more.

In June, a...