The B-1 remains the sole purely conventional bomber in the US Air Force’s inventory.
As of this month, the US Air Force’s B-1B “Lancer” bomber has operated from the service’s Dyess Base in Texas for four decades. The original “Star of Abilene” bomber arrived on base in 1985 and was celebrated with a small ceremony. While the iconic bomber may be old, its upgraded specs and capabilities make it a cornerstone of the Air Force’s aerial strategy. “For decades, the B-1 has been the foundation of our long-range strike capability. At the formal training unit for the B-1, we take pride in forging the world’s best combat aviators who will carry forward the proud legacy that has defined B-1 operations for the last 40 years,” said Lt. Col. Brian Guyette, commander of the 28th Bomb Squadron. To put it simply, the B-1 remains the sole purely conventional bomber in the US Air Force’s inventory.
The History of the B-1B Lancer
As a Cold War-era design, the B-1B was developed initially to serve as a strategic nuclear bomber capable of flying at low altitudes to evade the USSR’s advanced radars. The threat of the Soviet’s anti-aircraft surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) became apparent following the 1960 downing of pilot Gary Powers’ U-2 spy plane. Though the B-1 program was canceled in the late 1970s by the Jimmy Carter administration, President Richard Nixon reinstated the bomber series under the new B-1A name upon taking office later on. North American Rockwell was tasked with designing the bomber, but by the time the platform was ready for production, advances in the USSR’s anti-aircraft radar rendered the prototype inefficient. This time, the program would be nixed until President Ronald Reagan took office in the 1980s.
To make the new and improved bomber worth it, the B-1B was designed to host even more sophisticated add-ons than preceding prototypes. According to Flying Mag, “an additional structure to increase payload by 74,000 pounds, an improved radar and reduction of the radar cross-section by an order of magnitude. The changes led to a reduction in maximum speed to Mach 1.2.” Out of all of its qualities, the B-1 really shines when it comes to ordnance. The Lancer is able to carry the largest payload of guided and unguided weapons alike in all of the service’s aerial inventory. Coupled with the bomber’s maneuverability in low and high-altitude airspaces and top speed, the Lancer plays an integral role in the Air Force’s fleet. Additionally, the B-1B is equipped with the ALQ-161 radar warning receiver, a towed decoy system, expandable countermeasures, and other advanced systems that make it outmatch its opponents in the skies.
Based on the Lancer’s continued promise, the platform should serve until the late 2030s. The Air Force is working to introduce its next-generation B-21 “Raider” stealth bomber program in the near future, which will replace the Lancer down the line. Until then, the B-1B will continue to deliver fast and precise power across the world.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
