The U.S. Air Force is planning to reactivate and upgrade its fleet of venerable B-1B Lancer bombers in a move that could help offset delays to the B-21 Raider program. This effort should bring much-needed strength to its shrinking bomber force, which is urgently needed to maintain air combat firepower.
Even though it’s decades old, the B-1B Lancer still sees significant upgrades. One such bomber, “Lancelot,” had recently been reactivated from the boneyard to replace another B-1B whose engine blew up while going through routine maintenance in 2022. Instead of refurbishing the wrecked bomber, the Air Force opted to activate a retired counterpart from the 309th Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
The modernization of the Lancer edges the capacity to lug new bunker-buster bombs similar to the 5,000-pound GBU-72/B. The upgrade significantly raises the B-1B’s lethality, allowing it to stay on pace with the gauzy threats that are now emerging. Photographer Ian Recchio snapped shots of a B-1B lugging the GBU-72/B over the Mojave Desert, showing that this airplane is very relevant.
The story of the B-1B Lancer began right after World War II when the U.S. government felt the need for a new bomber that could carry the load of a B-52 Stratofortress and function with the speed of a B-58 Hustler. This led to the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft program, from which the B-1A had come, and it matured into the B-1B variant approved by the Reagan administration in the early 1980s to counter the Soviet Union’s advancing aerial fleet.
Since then, the B-1B has been upgraded with an advanced identification friend or foe system, mass data storage, a new defensive avionics system, and Link 16 tactical data communications capability. These enhancements ensure that the B-1B stays a formidable platform in the Air Force’s arsenal.
The decision to bring B-1Bs out of the boneyard is not a first. The 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, announced last week that it was performing the “regeneration” of a B-1B to replace another bomber that was wrecked by an engine fire in 2022. A Lancer will re-enter service for the first time in nearly two decades after being retired, a spokeswoman said.
That our Air Force can call up an aircraft that has sat dormant for several years and have it prepared to support our long-range strike mission within a year is incredible,” said Col. Seth Spanier, commander of the 7th Bomb Wing. That statement speaks volumes for the efforts taken by the Air Force toward sustaining a combat-credible strike force.
Notably, the fleet is believed to remain in service well into the 2030s, ensuring a bridge to when the operational status of the B-21 Raider will already be a reality. It is against this backdrop of growing geopolitical instability that the reactivation and modernization of B-1Bs become very important stopgap measures that ensure the Air Force is ready and competent to execute missions that garner high priority for national defense.