By Kris Osborn, President, Warrior
Now configured to fire hypersonic weapons, the classic 1990s B1-B workhorse bomber has been upgraded with an improved weapons bay, communications and battle command technologies, fire control systems and an expanded arsenal for air attack.
The Lancer, which recently participated in a live-fire bombing exercise with South Korea in a bomber deterrence mission, continues to be preserved and enhanced by the Air Force in preparation for years of extended service.
These are likely a few reasons why the B1-B Lancer, which first emerged in Combat in Operation Desert Fox in 1998, is still surging into the future, as evidenced by its inclusion in this recent US-South Korean joint live-fire bomber patrol over the Korean Peninsula.
Like many aircraft, such as the B-52 bomber and fighter jets like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15 Eagle, service life, technological relevance and attack capacity can be preserved and enhanced on decades old airframes for many years beyond their anticipated service life. The B1-B, F-15 and B-52, for example, are now almost completely new aircraft when compared with when they first emerged. This is because airframes can often remain viable, years after the electronics, computing, weaponry and communications technology become obsolete. In many cases, airframes and aircraft structures can be reinforced and strengthened for future service without needing to be fully replaced or rebuilt.
B1-B Bombing Missions in Iraq and Afghanistan
While less flashy than other service aircraft, and by no means stealthy, the Air Force’s B1-B bomber has operated as a quiet and often lesser recognized “workhorse” bomber which, for instance, dropped thousands of JDAMs during the multi-year wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The B-1 can hit speeds of MACH 1.25 at 40,000 feet and operates at a ceiling of 60,000 feet. It fires a wide range of bombs, including several JDAMs: GBU-31, GBU-38, and GBU-54. It also fires the small diameter bomb-GBU-39.
The engines have been refurbished in recent years to retain their original performance specs, and the B-1 has also been getting new targeting and intelligence systems. A new Integrated Battle Station includes new aircrew displays and communication links for in-flight data sharing.
Warrior Appears on TV to Discuss B1-B Bomber Live-Fire Mission
Another upgrade called The Fully Integrated Targeting Pod connects the targeting pod control and video feed into B-1 cockpit displays.
The B-1 has also increased its carriage capacity of 500-pound class weapons by 60 percent due to Bomb Rack Unit upgrades. As part of this, the Air Force has also reconfigured the B-1B weapons bay to carry more weapons, increasing the B-1B’s magazine capacity from 24 weapons internally, all the way up to 40.
Some B-1s have been retired, yet many remain as part of a deliberate Air Force bomber-fleet management strategy. Given that the new B-21 bomber will arrive progressively in increments in coming years, the service needs to ensure it can maintain viable, combat-ready B1-B bombers for years into the future until sufficient numbers of the B-21 arrive.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
