B-52 modernization program faces $3 billion cost overrun, GAO finds

A report from the Government Accountability Office, published in late July, found that the Boeing B-52J Stratofortress modernization effort has fallen significantly behind its original timeline. Flight testing for the upgrade is now expected to start four years later than planned.

As a result, the program's Initial Operating Capability has slipped by five years and is now projected for 2033, according to the report.

The delays have come with a substantial cost increase. The GAO found the program's budget has grown by about 38 percent, with one system for the fleet alone adding roughly $3 billion to the overall price.

The report does not specify the exact cause of the schedule slip beyond noting the scale of the increase, and no additional detail was provided on which specific system drove the added cost. The B-52 upgrade is intended to modernize the long-serving bomber fleet, though the extent of remaining technical or programmatic challenges was not detailed in the available material.