Defense Speak Interpreted: Is DARPA Still Around After CHIPS?
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
The Government Circuit: Trump’s Trade War Disrupts the Electronics Ecosystem
Boeing Selects Spirit AeroSystems to Support B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program
April 14, 2022 | BoeingEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. announced a contract award from The Boeing Company to provide engine pylons and nacelles for the initial phase of the B-52 Commercial Engine Replacement Program (CERP). The total CERP effort is expected to replace 608 engines on the U.S. Air Force fleet of B-52H models.
As part of the CERP contract, Spirit will support extending the life of the B-52 Stratofortress through at least 2050. The B-52 first entered the U.S. Air Force fleet in 1955.
From the first flight in April 1952, Wichita played a major role in the manufacturing of the B-52. All B-52H models were built in Wichita. By the end of its original production run in 1962, over 700 of the planes had been built, the majority of them in Wichita. Wichita’s legacy with the U.S. bomber fleet dates back to B-29 Superfortress production during World War II.
“We are very pleased Boeing selected Spirit to be the structures partner on the B-52 CERP program, taking advantage of decades of experience and capabilities building engine struts and nacelles in Wichita,” said Duane Hawkins, Executive Vice President, President Defense & Space. “Spirit is proud of our heritage with the warfighter by producing legacy bombers and now extending that legacy keeping the B-52 flying for decades to come.”
Spirit is one of the world’s largest suppliers of engine pylons, delivering every pylon for Boeing’s commercial aircraft. Spirit currently builds the nacelle for the commercial variant of the Rolls Royce F-130 engine, selected by the Air Force for the B-52 CERP program.
“Spirit will apply its vast experience building and delivering thousands of engine struts and nacelles for commercial applications on the CERP program,” said Jarrod Bartlett, Defense & Space Business Development Manager. “We look forward to supporting Boeing to help keep the B-52 a ready and reliable weapon system for the Air Force.”
Share on:
Suggested Items
The Knowledge Base: Building the Workforce of Tomorrow With EMAC
06/24/2025 | Mike Konrad -- Column: The Knowledge BaseAs the electronics manufacturing industry races to meet rising global demand and technological complexity, the need for a highly skilled, future-ready workforce has never been greater. At the forefront of addressing this challenge is The Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC)—a national initiative dedicated to strengthening the talent pipeline through strategic collaboration with SMTA, education, and government stakeholders.
MVTec, Siemens Expand Technological Cooperation
06/12/2025 | MVTecMVTec Software GmbH and Siemens are expanding their technological cooperation in the field of industrial automation. To reinforce their increasingly close collaboration, Siemens joined the MVTec Technology Partner Program in May 2025.
RTX's Raytheon Awarded $646M Hardware Production and Sustainment Contract for SPY-6 Family of Radars
06/10/2025 | RTXRaytheon, an RTX business, was awarded a $646 million contract to continue producing AN/SPY-6(V) radars for the U.S. Navy. This is the fourth option exercised from the March 2022 hardware, production and sustainment contract that is valued up to $3 billion over five years.
Tesollo Selected for NVIDIA Inception Program
06/02/2025 | TesolloRobotics and solutions development company Tesollo Inc. announced that it has been officially selected as a member of NVIDIA’s Inception Program.
Rolls-Royce to Provide Power, Handling System for Canadian River-class Destroyers
06/02/2025 | Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce has reached agreement on a significant scope of work to support Batch One of the River-class destroyer (RCD) program for the Royal Canadian Navy.