Mary-Louise Hoffman
Rolls-Royce has met initial goals in the testing period of a new engine that will power the U.S. Air Force’s B-52 Stratofortress bomber platform and expects the phase to conclude by the end of the year.
The F130 tests taking place at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi are part of risk reduction efforts for the B-52 engine replacement program, Rolls-Royce said Friday.
USAF awarded the company a potential 17-year, $2.6 billion contract in September 2021 to replace current powerplants in the service branch’s fleet of bomber planes.
The branch aims to extend the life span of Boeing-built B-52s for three decades.
Rolls-Royce intends to perform manufacturing and assembly work in Indianapolis and the company expects to enter the critical design review phase in the first quarter of 2024.