The B-1B Lancer, more affectionately known as “The Bone,” has been a staple of the United States Air Force’s bomber fleet since its induction in 1985. Hailed as a versatile bomber capable of going long distances in several missions, this supersonic bomber has been in service since 1985. It will continue to see operational service through at least 2040 by joining Boeing and the Air Force in continued partnership to keep the aircraft mission-ready.
But optimized with nuclear capabilities in mind, the B-1B became an aircraft that, until the mid-1990s, performed an exclusively conventional combat mission. This opened the gates for the aircraft to perform its functions in support of a variety of military operations. During Operation Allied Force in 1999, six B-1Bs flew only 2% of the strike missions yet delivered 20% of the total ordnance. During Operation Enduring Freedom, the B-1B launched more than 40 percent of the precision weapons while flying less than 2 percent of the sorties.
The B-1B development history goes back much further than its first flight. In the 1970s, a contract was awarded to Rockwell International to develop the B-1A, a subsonic and supersonic variable-sweep wing bomber. The B-1A incorporated swing wings necessary to meet the requirements of the mission, such as taking off and landing on shorter runways. Although the program was canceled in 1977, flight testing went on. The B-1 program was later revived by the Reagan administration in the early 1980s. Changes included cutting back maximum speed to Mach 1.2 and increased payload to 74,000 pounds in the B-1B that followed.
The B-1B holds almost 50 world records for its class in terms of speed, payload, range, and time of climb. Its operational history is outstanding as well. It was first used in combat during Operation Desert Fox in 1998, carrying out operations against Iraq. During Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia in 1999, 6 B-1Bs accounted for more than 20% of ordnance delivered from all platforms, but they flew less than 2% of the combat sorties. Through the first six months of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the B-1B continued to prove its worth by having eight B-1Bs drop nearly 40 percent of the total tonnage delivered by coalition air forces.
Yet, for the record, the B-1B was almost supplanted by a hypothetical version called the B-1R. Proposed by Boeing in the early 2000s, the B-1R would have upgraded the B-1B with newer electronics, reworked weapon systems, radar, and even F119 engines from Pratt & Whitney of the Lockheed F-22. F119s had a higher thrust-to-weight ratio at a lighter weight while being more fuel-efficient. But the B-1R never happened.
Today, the B-1B is still a very important item of equipment within the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal, flying missions daily in support of ongoing operations. Active squadrons include the 9th and 28th Bomb Squadrons, 7th Bomb Wing, and the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Dyess AFB, Texas, together with the 34th and 37th Bomb Squadrons, 28th Bomb Wing, based at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
Having the ability to “dial-up” and compose any blend of munitions in its inventory, as well as long-range capacity with rapid deployment, the B-1B can strike any target worldwide from its home station, cementing the platform’s place as part of an indispensable America’s long-range strategic bomber force.