Air Force to host industry day next month for potential B-52 radar suppliers

After formally selecting Boeing as the sole-source integrator for its B-52 Radar Modernization Program last month, the Air Force will host potential radar suppliers at an industry day in May.

The service will meet with potential providers May 16 and 17 at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, to discuss requirements for the program. The initiative will replace the bomber's AN/APQ-166 radar, which was installed in the 1950s and hasn't been updated since the early 1980s.

The service told Congress in February it wants to field a non-developmental solution, largely to keep costs down and reduce integration risk. The new radar should improve the bomber's ground and surface target and tracking capabilities and boost its electronic protection. The service also wants the new system to provide "a growth path for new and enhanced capabilities."

The Air Force plans to begin producing the new radar kits in fiscal year 2023 and will upgrade about 17 aircraft per year.