The B-1B bomber's days may be numbered, but the US Air Force is still keeping it busy

Christopher WoodyMay 20, 2020, 04:24 IST

A 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1B Lancer trains Japan, where it trained with the Japan Air Self Defense Force, May 12, 2020.US Air Force/Senior Airman River Bruce

The Air Force has said it wants to start retiring the B-1B Lancer bomber, a workhorse aircraft that has played a major role in counter-terrorism operations in recent years.
Despite those plans, the service continues to put the bomber through its paces, including several training operations in late April and early May that took it to opposite ends of the earth on short notice.

If the Air Force gets its way, the B-1B Lancer will soon be on its way out of the fleet, but its potential departure doesn't mean any less work for the bomber.

The B-1B was one of several aircraft the Air Force proposed divesting in its 2021 budget. The B-1B fleet would drop from 61 aircraft in 2020 to 44 in 2021, and the remainder would go out of service as the new B-21 bomber arrives starting in the mid-2020s.

The B-1B is considered the "backbone" bomber fleet, as it can fly the fastest, topping 900 mph, and has the largest payload, up to 75,000 pounds of guided and unguided weapons, though it is unable to carry nuclear weapons.

But the Lancer has borne much of the workload during the war on terror, an effort needed to keep it flying led the Air Force to decide to retire some and allow maintainers to focus time and resources on the ones that are in better shape.

Despite those issues, all the Air Force's B-1Bs "are completely safe," Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees the bomber fleets, said in an email.

The list of B-1Bs being considered for retirement "has not been finalized," and the final list will be "data driven and composed primarily of those aircraft that have the least remaining structural life," the command said.

The Air Force is maintaining B-1B combat effectiveness "until key modernization milestones are achieved"; therefore, the command said, "outside of planned scheduled maintenance, all 17 aircraft will continue flying with the rest of the fleet."

And that fleet remains busy. The Air Force promoted at least seven missions between late April and early May, photos of which you can see below, that took the Lancer and airmen supporting it all over the world.

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On April 22, a B-1B Lancer from the 37th Bomb Squadron left Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota for the Indo-Pacific region, where it trained with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.

A US Air Force B-1B and F-16s conduct joint training with Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2s off the coast of northern Japan, April 22, 2020. US Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Timothy Moore

On April 22, a B-1B Lancer from the 37th Bomb Squadron left Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota for the Indo-Pacific region, where it trained with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.

On April 28 and April 29, B-1Bs from Ellsworth again demonstrated the Air Force's dynamic force employment model in the Indo-Pacific, flying a 32-hour round-trip sortie to conduct operations over the South China Sea.

The crew piloting a B-1B Lancer prepare to park at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, April 30, 2020. US Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Jette Carr

On April 28 and April 29, B-1Bs from Ellsworth again demonstrated the Air Force's dynamic force employment model in the Indo-Pacific, flying a 32-hour round-trip sortie to conduct operations over the South China Sea.

On May 1, B-1Bs from the 28th Bomb Wing, based at Ellsworth, flew over South Dakota cities to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus.

B-1B Lancers assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, leave the parking apron of the flight line, January 22, 2020. US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Hailey Staker

On May 1, B-1Bs from the 28th Bomb Wing, based at Ellsworth, flew over South Dakota cities to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus.

Also on May 1, B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas departed for the Indo-Pacific region to conduct bomber task force operations out of Andersen Air Base in Guam.

A line of B-1B Lancers from the 9th Bomb Squadron taxi before departing on a bomber task force deployment, at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, April 30, 2020. US Air Force/Senior Airman Mercedes Porter

On May 5, two B-1Bs from Ellsworth headed in the opposite direction, deploying for a long-range strategic bomber task force mission to the Baltic region. The flight included training with Danish F-16s and an overflight of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

A B-1B Lancer flies with a Danish F-16 during a training mission for Bomber Task Force Europe, May 5, 2020. Danish Air Force

On May 5, two B-1Bs from Ellsworth headed in the opposite direction, deploying for a long-range strategic bomber task force mission to the Baltic region. The flight included training with Danish F-16s and an overflight of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

A B-1B from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth did a second long-range strategic bomber task force mission to Europe on May 11. With support from a KC-135 tanker, the bomber was able to make the flight, which included training with Danish F-16 and flying over Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania with Polish F-16s and MiG-29s.

A B-1B Lancer with a Polish F-16 during a long-range, long-duration training mission for Bomber Task Force Europe, May 11, 2020. Polish Air Force

A B-1B from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth did a second long-range strategic bomber task force mission to Europe on May 11. With support from a KC-135 tanker, the bomber was able to make the flight, which included training with Danish F-16 and flying over Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania with Polish F-16s and MiG-29s.

As one B-1B teamed up with European partners on May 11, another supported NORAD efforts to demonstrate the air-defense capabilities of Canada and the US.

NORAD CF-18s and F-16s conducted intercepts of a B-1B as it entered the Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone and the Continental US NORAD Region. NORAD

The late April and early May flights weren't "an increase in operational tempo," Global Strike Command said, adding that between Dyess and Ellsworth, "the B-1B flies on average between 20 to 30 sorties a week. ... The recent flights represent a small sample size of what the B-1B fleet flies from week to week."

Two 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1B Lancers wait to park at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam a training mission in the East China Sea in support of a bomber task force, May 14, 2020. US Air Force/Senior Airman River Bruce

The late April and early May flights weren't "an increase in operational tempo," Global Strike Command said, adding that between Dyess and Ellsworth, "the B-1B flies on average between 20 to 30 sorties a week. ... The recent flights represent a small sample size of what the B-1B fleet flies from week to week."

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The B-1B bomber's days may be numbered, but the US Air Force is still keeping it busy

On April 22, a B-1B Lancer from the 37th Bomb Squadron left Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota for the Indo-Pacific region, where it trained with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.

On April 28 and April 29, B-1Bs from Ellsworth again demonstrated the Air Force's dynamic force employment model in the Indo-Pacific, flying a 32-hour round-trip sortie to conduct operations over the South China Sea.

On May 1, B-1Bs from the 28th Bomb Wing, based at Ellsworth, flew over South Dakota cities to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus.

Also on May 1, B-1Bs from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas departed for the Indo-Pacific region to conduct bomber task force operations out of Andersen Air Base in Guam.

On May 5, two B-1Bs from Ellsworth headed in the opposite direction, deploying for a long-range strategic bomber task force mission to the Baltic region. The flight included training with Danish F-16s and an overflight of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

As one B-1B teamed up with European partners on May 11, another supported NORAD efforts to demonstrate the air-defense capabilities of Canada and the US.