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

The operation was a demonstration of the Air Force's dynamic force employment model, the service said.

It entailed a nearly 29-hour round-trip flight and involved working with six US Air Force F-16s, seven JASDF F-2s, and eight JASDF F-15s as part of a joint US Indo-Pacific Command and US Strategic Command bomber task force mission.

The 32-hour non-stop flight was part of a joint US Indo-Pacific Command and US Strategic Command bomber task force mission.

Such "missions are important because they allow us to demonstrate and showcase our nation's dynamic force employment capabilities," Col. David Doss, 28th Bomb Wing commander, said in a release.

The mission, Doss added, "demonstrate our commitment to our allies and partners, as well as show any potential adversary, that we can deliver overwhelming long-range global strike capabilities anytime, anywhere, regardless of whether we are at home or deployed abroad."

The flyovers were part of the Air Force Salutes initiative and were allowed as part of an approved training mission.

"This is one way we can show our extreme appreciation and admiration for all of the men and women in our area healthcare facilities who are working tirelessly to combat this virus and provide care for our families, friends and neighbors," Doss said.

Four bombers and about 200 airmen from the 9th Bomb Squadron deployed to support Pacific Air Forces' training efforts, the Air Force said in a release.

Three of the B-1Bs flew to Andersen while one flew east of Japan to train with the US Navy before heading to Anderson.

The B-1B's large payload and other features make it a valuable asset in the Indo-Pacific, where potential targets can be far-flung.

"The B-1 is able to carry a larger payload of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles and a larger payload of 2,000-pound class Joint Direct Attack Munitions," Lt. Col. Frank Welton, Pacific Air Forces' chief of operations force management, said in a release.

"Additionally, the B-1 is able to carry the [Long Range Anti-Surface Missiles], giving it an advanced stand-off, counter-ship capability," Welton said. "It also has an advanced self-protection suite and is able to transit at supersonic speeds to enhance offensive and defensive capabilities."

During the flight, which lasted more than 25 hours, B-1s also worked with Estonian joint terminal air controllers on close-air-support training with inert devices.

"Our crews gain valuable experience operating in a region that some had not seen previously," Col. Richard Barksdale, commander of the 28th Operations Group, said in a release. "This mission honed integration with NATO allies and regional partners, and demonstrated our ability to effortlessly shift operations from one area of the globe to another in a short period of time."

The nearly 24-hour, non-stop mission covered more than 9,400 nautical miles and was the fourth time in just over four weeks that B-1Bs from South Dakota conducted long-duration sorties, the Air Force said. Those operations took place in both the Pacific and European theaters.

This mission, like the others on this list, came amid the Pentagon's ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"The health of our team has been a top priority from the start of our COVID response and is key to sustaining missions like the Bomber Task Force," Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian, commander of US Air Forces Europe, said in a release. "Although mitigation efforts created challenges to overcome, our allies, partners and adversaries should make no mistake that we are ready, able and willing to deter and defend when called upon."

The air-defense exercise included an intercept of at least one B-1B by Canadian CF-18s and by US F-16s, supported by KC-135 stratotankers, as the bomber entered the Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone and again as it entered NORAD's Continental US Region.

NORAD is a binational agreement that divides the region into Alaskan, Continental US, and Canadian sections, monitored by their respective authorities.

Those multiple intercepts "exercised our ability to defend the homelands," Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, commander of NORAD and of US Northern Command, said a release. "While we are combatting COVID-19 we remain closely linked with our other combatant commands. Our collective work enhances our ability to deter, detect and, if necessary, defeat any threat to North America."

The 2021 defense budget has yet to be finalized, so the future composition of the bomber force remains to be determined.

With the B-21 not scheduled to enter service until the middle of this decade, Air Force officials are discussing ways to get more out of the service's remaining bombers.

For the B-1B, this could mean changing the way pilots fly it and increasing its payload to carry the weapons of the future.

Gen. Timothy Ray, head of Air Force Global Strike Command, has said he wants to get the bomber fleet up over 220 aircraft.

There are "multiple ways" to do that, Ray said during a Defense Writers Group conference call in April.

"Right now, the short-term in any path forward includes working our way through sustaining the B-1 and adding capacity [to it] ... to sustain the B-2 until the B-21 is coming off the line at the numbers we need," Ray said.