It just seems pretty penny wise and pound foolish.
8 17k engines versus 4 74k very reliable low maintenance.
I guess that’s the hallmark of today’s military.
If you look at the C5 Re-engining, it was pretty expensive and they’re only doing about half of the C5B fleet as a result.
Here’s a pretty good article that describes in detail the hurdles that are faced in upgrading aircraft built as recently as the ‘80s. One can only imagine the difficulties that would face the B52s.
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/saving-the-galaxy-the-c-5-amprerp-program-03938/