Air Force Arms Classic B1-B Bomber For Hypersonic Weapons

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization 

(Washington D.C.) The Air Force’s B1-B bomber may capture fewer headlines than a sleek-looking, stealthy B-2 or well-known F-35, yet the decades-old bomber has performed a massive volume of missions in recent years.

The B-1, which had its combat debut in Operation Desert Fox in 1998, went to drop 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.

Therefore, despite its age, the B1-B has surged into current service as part of a key strategy to retain a viable and effective bomber fleet until larger numbers of the new B-21 arrive in the fleet.

This is why the Air Force has been pursuing a massive technical overhaul of the B1-B, giving the aircraft an expanded weapons ability along with new avionics, communications technology, and engines.

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.