[2CAVTrooper]

“I wonder how much it would cost to re-open a line to make an updated B-52. It coudn’t cost that much, if you bought them in quantity. It’s old tech, after all. Keep the airframe the same, add modern avionics and engines.”

That’s assuming the Airforce gets a spine and tells Lockheed Martin and Boeing where they can shove the cost plus contracts and actually start holding these contractors responsible for their actions.

Other than that, the Airforce won’t do it because the B-52 isn’t “flashy” enough.

[BikerJoe]

That’s assuming the Airforce gets a spine and tells Lockheed Martin and Boeing where they can shove the cost plus contracts and actually start holding these contractors responsible for their actions.

It's hard to do fixed cost when the requirements keep changing. You usually get something more quickly when it's cost plus, because then you're not shutting the program down every six months while lawyers argue whether something is "in the contract".