Top view of B-1B in-flight with white clouds scattered underneath. Credit: US Air Force / Bennie J Davis III.

Boeing has been awarded a $14.31bn flexible acquisition and sustainment contract for the US Air Force’s (USAF) bomber aircraft – the B-1 Lancer and B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from Air Force Life Cycle Management Center requires the company to perform the modification, modernisation, engineering, sustainment and test of the weapons systems.

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The US DoD announced on Friday: “This B-1/B-52 Flexible Acquisition and Sustainment contract provides for the upcoming modernisation and sustainment efforts to increase lethality, enhance survivability, improve supportability, and increase responsiveness.”

Boeing will undertake the contract work in Oklahoma City. The work is anticipated to be completed by 11 April 2029.

The USAF will offer funds for research, development, test, and evaluation of around $1.21m on the first task order at the time of the award.

The latest contract comes after Boeing secured a $250m contract to perform integration of the long-range stand-off (LRSO) cruise missile weapon system on the B-52H strategic bomber aircraft.

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"This contract provides for the upcoming modernisation and sustainment efforts to increase lethality, enhance survivability, improve supportability, and increase responsiveness."

Under the contract, Boeing will carry out aircraft and missile carriage equipment development and modification and provide testing and other services to support the full of the missile on the USAF’s fleet of 76 B-52H platforms.

The LRSO nuclear-armed air-launched cruise missile is expected to replace the existing AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) on the B-52H bomber.

Initially designed with a ten-year life span, the ALCM has been in service with the USAF for around 35 years.

The B-52H Stratofortress, which entered service in 1961, is the USAF’s principal strategic nuclear and conventional weapons platform. The US is currently developing hypersonic weapons that can be attached to a B-52h.

With a wingspan of 185ft, the aircraft offers a payload capacity of 70,000lbs and can achieve a speed of 650mph.

The B-1B Lancer is a long-range, multi-mission, supersonic conventional bomber. The aircraft has been in use with the USAF since 1985.