The 37-year-old B-1B Lancer, fondly known as “The Bone,” still has a long term in store for itself in the United States Air Force. Only 45 will be left after all, when 17 units were phased out this year. It is going to stick around for a while, at least until the B-21 Raider rolls out fully, which will take many years.
A storied combat history for the B-1B, having played vital roles in the Iraq and Serbia conflicts. In the war over Iraq, for example, the Lancer flew just two percent of the bombing missions but delivered over 40 percent of precision weapons. Similarly, while flying six B-1s had accounted for just two percent of the combat missions in the air war over Serbia, those B-1s dropped 20 percent of the ordnance.
To retire these aircraft early, especially as tensions are rising in the Indo-Pacific, would leave the U.S. defense exposed. The B-1B fills an important gap until the B-21 Raider is ready to be produced in quantity for deployment.
The Air Force has maintained that most of the retired B-1s exhibited severe structural fatigue, notably at the wing-pivot points. These aircraft flew high and slow instead of low and fast with their wings swept, as they were designed to do. Still, the record of the Lancer in combat is a compelling argument that these planes are far from obsolete.
A relative handful of B-1s have ensured U.S. air dominance through the last three wars America has fought. Yet the Air Force is now pushing ahead with plans to retire the Lancer fleet by the end of the 2020s. That comes at a time when a third world war seems poised to erupt at any moment, creating a serious vulnerability for the U.S. Air Force that America’s rivals could exploit.
The B-1B Lancer is a long-range, multi-mission, supersonic conventional bomber that entered service in 1985. Conceived in the pre-Cold War era, the Lancer was originally intended to be a nuclear-capable bomber. It was downscaled to convention-only armaments once the Cold War ended. The B-1B, against most expectations, is a highly useful delivery system for precision weapons – and it is this role that explains much of the attention paid to the airframe.
However, if B-21 production falters, the Air Force must rebuild and preserve the Lancers until adequate B-21 numbers are available to prevent a critical gap in U.S. air power and ensure America remains prepared for any potential conflict shortly.
Writes National Security Analyst Brandon J. Weichert, old doesn’t have to mean old news as far as planes and equipment are concerned. The service record of the B-1B Lancer makes it one of the most capable airframes that cannot be replaced. Given the geopolitical crises looming large over the United States, the need for a strong, prepared bomber force has never been more imperative.