The B-52 has become, over the decades, a symbol of American airborne military mightIt may be steeped in history and might look like a relic of the Cold War, but the B-52 bomber has presented Rolls-Royce with the hottest of competition in a very modern corporate battle. The Pentagon has just closed bids to supply new engines to keep its fleet of 76 B-52s in service until 2050. Rolls finds itself in a three-way dogfight with General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, its American engine-making rivals, the latter being the present supplier to the B-52. Normally, Rolls’ pitch to build new engines for the B-52 would be of little consequence — it’s the sort of contest in which a company with its heritage should be short-listed — but in a world of White House protectionism and a corporate

Source: The Times August 14, 2020 16:09 UTC