The US Air Force's B-1 bomber just turned 30
The B-1 was originally designed to replace the aging B-52 Stratofortress.
It combines the long-range capabilities of the B-52 with the sleek lines of a fighter jet.
Its wings can be pivoted forward and backward, depending on the requirements for a particular mission. Wide open wings allow the B-1 to fly high above radar for astonishingly long distances.
With its wings folded back, the plane can reach up to mach 2.2 — or almost 1,700 mph.
Speeds like this, of course, wouldn’t be possible without some impressive afterburners.
Four massive General Electric F101 engines each provide 30,000 pounds of thrust.
The B-1 led the fight in Operation Desert Storm and has been a powerful tool in many other Middle Eastern conflicts.
It can carry a massive payload of up to 75,000 pounds of missiles or bombs, including nuclear weapons ...
... and drop them with almost pinpoint accuracy.
When not seeing combat, the B-1 is a popular plane for sporting events and other fly-over opportunities, thanks to its impressive size, speed, and sound.
It can be refueled mid-air, meaning it can fly indefinitely with no need to land to fill its 10,000-gallon fuel tanks.
The B-1 currently operates out of Dyess Air Force Base near Abilene, TX, and Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, and a few others.
Hundreds of B-1s have been produced since 1986.
An Air Force B-1 crew chief from the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing launches a B-1B bomber for a combat mission.
Fighter aircraft, led by a USAF B1-B tactical bomber, fly over the 4,500-year-old pyramids in Egypt.
Ground crews prepare B1 bombers of the U.S. 77th Bomber Squadron at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England.
When a plane reaches the end of its lifespan, it isn’t sold for scrap.
It’s trucked to an “aircraft boneyard” in Arizona.
At Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona, hundreds of retired aircraft sit patiently, awaiting use as spare parts.
Hundreds of aircraft, the B-1 included, have ended their life in the Arizona desert.
This lonely B-1 is patiently awaiting its fate.
The Boeing B-1 bomber changed aerial warfare forever. Here’s to another 30 years.
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