USAF Fund B-52 Engine Replacement
As I understand it, there were two major issues with going with 4 big(ger) engines - ground clearance and (this from Ken V way back in this thread) maintaining the ability to carry/drop munitions from the wings.
Regarding ground clearance, back when we were looking at the RB211 replacement, I suggested perhaps they could get rid of those outrigger gear on the wing tips and incorporated something into the outboard engine nacelles.
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Not too sure how much corporate prestige there is in the re-engine of a 1950's bomber - heck most people don't know who makes the engines in the F-22 or B-2.
That being said, the RB211-535 (from the 757) was the leading contender when we were looking at this in the late 1990's - the plan being to replace each two engine pod with a single RB211. Being basically an analog engine (no FADEC) with throttle cables would have made the integration into an analog aircraft somewhat easier.
That being said, the RB211-535 (from the 757) was the leading contender when we were looking at this in the late 1990's - the plan being to replace each two engine pod with a single RB211. Being basically an analog engine (no FADEC) with throttle cables would have made the integration into an analog aircraft somewhat easier.
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Pending the inevitable protests of course…..
https://www.airforcemag.com/rolls-ro...h-2-6-billion/
Rolls-Royce Wins B-52 Re-Engining Program Worth $2.6 Billion
The Air Force has selected Rolls-Royce North America as its contractor for the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, or CERP, which will supply new F130 powerplants for all 76 of Air Force Global Strike Command’s B-52H bombers, the Pentagon announced Sep. 24. If all options are exercised, the work is worth $2.6 billion.
The F130 engine is flying on the C-37 transport and E-11 BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) aircraft. The first part of the indefinite quantity-indefinite delivery contract is worth $500.9 million. The contract calls for Rolls to supply 608 engines, to equip 76 B-52s with eight engines each, with manufacture and installation to be completed by Sept. 23, 2038. Rolls said the actual number of powerplants, including spares, is 650.
The Air Force did not say when the installs will begin. The engines will be built at Rolls’s Indianapolis, Ind., facilities, where the company said it has invested $600 million in an “advanced manufacturing campus.” The work will require 150 new hires, the company said. The contract value is substantially below initial estimates, which ran as much as $10 billion for the CERP……
https://www.airforcemag.com/rolls-ro...h-2-6-billion/
Rolls-Royce Wins B-52 Re-Engining Program Worth $2.6 Billion
The Air Force has selected Rolls-Royce North America as its contractor for the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program, or CERP, which will supply new F130 powerplants for all 76 of Air Force Global Strike Command’s B-52H bombers, the Pentagon announced Sep. 24. If all options are exercised, the work is worth $2.6 billion.
The F130 engine is flying on the C-37 transport and E-11 BACN (Battlefield Airborne Communications Node) aircraft. The first part of the indefinite quantity-indefinite delivery contract is worth $500.9 million. The contract calls for Rolls to supply 608 engines, to equip 76 B-52s with eight engines each, with manufacture and installation to be completed by Sept. 23, 2038. Rolls said the actual number of powerplants, including spares, is 650.
The Air Force did not say when the installs will begin. The engines will be built at Rolls’s Indianapolis, Ind., facilities, where the company said it has invested $600 million in an “advanced manufacturing campus.” The work will require 150 new hires, the company said. The contract value is substantially below initial estimates, which ran as much as $10 billion for the CERP……
The Air Force did not say when the installs will begin. The engines will be built at Rolls’s Indianapolis, Ind., facilities, where the company said it has invested $600 million in an “advanced manufacturing campus.” The work will require 150 new hires, the company said. The contract value is substantially below initial estimates, which ran as much as $10 billion for the CERP……
"Not too sure how much corporate prestige there is in the re-engine of a 1950's bomber"
Its the income that is important - especially in the current economic climate for aerospace
Its the income that is important - especially in the current economic climate for aerospace
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Happy to be proved wrong, but I believe it’s just a modified version of the same 710 series, Nimrod just had a modified exhaust.
http://all-aero.com/index.php/compon...ls-royce-br725
http://all-aero.com/index.php/compon...ls-royce-br725
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There might be an operational component to the rate as well. How many B-52s can the USAF have down and still meet commitments? Doubt anyone on here can answer that, but have to think it plays into the decision. I know it does at the airlines for equipment change.
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The problem with it in the Nimrod installation was it was never designed to be installed in a long intake duct and that caused problems, or so i am told by a RR guy.
The article also explains that it is easier to slot new engines into the 8 pods than to re-design the 8 distribution systems for hydraulics, air, electrics etc into four.
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Still have to be redesigned.
IIRC an earlier article covers the fact that each of the new engines will have a generator so, even if the total power isn’t vastly greater, there is more redundancy. However that does mean the entire electric system needs a rethink. The same may hold true for the hydraulics etc.
IIRC an earlier article covers the fact that each of the new engines will have a generator so, even if the total power isn’t vastly greater, there is more redundancy. However that does mean the entire electric system needs a rethink. The same may hold true for the hydraulics etc.
Could be more than that ORAC. The new engine and nacelle was designed with compact VFGs in mind - up to 2 per engine - and managed via an ACPC to regular aircraft power levels. Sentinel had 2 VFGs per engine, for example. So if you predict a future with directed energy weapons an option for 16 generators might have you covered!