U.S. Air Force says B-52 availability rises nearly 40% under North Star campaign to strengthen long-range bomber readiness

Air Force Global Strike Command says its North Star Readiness Campaign increased the number of available B-52 bombers by nearly 40 percent. The initiative coordinated operations, maintenance, depots, supply chains, and logistics across the B-52 and B-1 communities instead of treating shortages as isolated unit problems. Mission-impairing parts demands reportedly fell from more than 450 to roughly 160, improving the ability to generate sorties. Sustaining those gains will require continued attention to aging components, workforce capacity, depot throughput, and modernization work that can temporarily remove aircraft from the available fleet.