B-1 Lancer
A B-1B Lancer in flight.
Type	Strategic bomber
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	North American Rockwell Rockwell International Boeing
Maiden flight	23 December 1974
Introduction	1 October 1986
Status	67 active,[1] 24 inactive
Primary user	United States Air Force
Number built	B-1A: 4 B-1B: 100
Unit cost	US$283. A strategic bomber is a heavy type Aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) 1 million in 1998 (B-1B)

The B-1 Lancer is a supersonic strategic bomber with variable-sweep wings. For other uses see Supersonic. The term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the Speed of sound ( Mach 1 A strategic bomber is a heavy type Aircraft designed to drop large amounts of ordnance onto a distant target for the purposes of debilitating an enemy's A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight Its origins began in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the B-52 Stratofortress, but developed into a primarily subsonic low-level very long-range penetrator. The B-1B production version has been in service with the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1986. The Lancer serves as the supersonic-capable component of the USAF's long-range bomber force, along with the subsonic B-52 and B-2 Spirit. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout As with official popular names of other aircraft, the Lancer is commonly called the "Bone" (originally from "B-One") within the USAF. With the retirement of the EF-111 Raven in 1998 and the F-14 Tomcat in 2006, the B-1B is the last variable-sweep wing aircraft remaining in U. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout S. military inventory.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Valkyrie 1.2 Redefined role 1.3 The B-52 soldiers on 1.4 AMSA 1.5 First cancellation 1.6 B-1A program 1.7 New problems 1.8 Another cancellation 1.9 Shifting priorities 1.10 B-1B program 2 Design 3 Operational history 3.1 Recent developments 4 Variants 4.1 B-1A/B 4.2 B-1R 5 Upgrades 6 Operators 7 Survivors 8 Accidents and incidents 9 Specifications (B-1B) 10 Popular culture 11 Gallery 12 See also 13 References 13.1 Notes 13.2 Bibliography 14 External links

History

The B-1 was conceived as the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA) program circa 1965. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1965: Events January January 2 - Denis Healey, the UK's Secretary AMSA was the last in a series of programs through the 1960s that looked at replacing the B-52 Stratofortress with a multi-role supersonic aircraft capable of long-range bombing and missile launching with nuclear weapons. ^[2] A series of cancellations led to its service introduction being greatly delayed, until the later half of the 1980s, over twenty years after the program first started.

The Valkyrie

In 1955, the USAF released system requirements for a heavy bomber with the B-52's range and payload capabilities, and the supersonic speed of the B-58, in order to replace both of these bombers by 1965. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The initial requirements called for a Mach 0. 9 cruise speed with a Mach 2+ dash capability. ^[3] The designs that met this specification were considered unrealistically large, requiring new hangars to hold them and reinforced runways to launch them.

During the design phase new fuels and techniques evolved that would allow an aircraft with similar range to cruise all the way to its target at high speeds. The Air Force asked for new proposals based on these advances, and this work would eventually lead to the B-70 Valkyrie. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Valkyrie was a large six-engine bomber designed to fly at very high altitudes at Mach 3 to avoid defending interceptors, the only effective anti-bomber weapon at that time. An interceptor aircraft (or simply interceptor) is a type of Fighter aircraft designed specifically to intercept and destroy enemy Aircraft, particularly Altitude alone was proving so difficult a problem that Soviet interceptors continued to fail to intercept the Lockheed U-2, running out of fuel before reaching a suitable firing point. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Given the speed and altitude of the B-70, the defense would have only a few minutes to respond to an attack, and even small numbers of B-70s attacking simultaneously would ensure that most would fly right by the interceptors, regardless of how much warning time they had.

The introduction of effective anti-aircraft missiles rendered this mode of operation dangerous. A surface to air missile ( SAM) or ground-to-air missile ( GTAM) is a Missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy Aircraft Unlike a manned interceptor that maneuvers within a plane while climbing, missiles flew straight up and could reach the B-70s altitude in a few minutes. The only concern became speed; as long as the target did not fly out of range before the missile reached it an attack was possible, and a powerful radar giving the operators some "lead time" could easily solve this problem. This was proven in convincing fashion by the downing of Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960. The 1960 U-2 incident occurred during the Cold War on May 1, 1960 when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Francis Gary Powers ( August 17, 1929 &ndash August 1, 1977) was an American pilot whose CIA U-2 spy plane

Redefined role

In response to the missile threat, military planners switched to low-altitude penetration. By carefully selecting the line of approach to a target, and routing the flight path around known anti-aircraft sites, the radar's line-of-sight operation worked in the bomber's advantage by hiding it from view below the landscape. Aircraft speed became much less important. The targets themselves often had defenses located nearby to prevent this sort of approach all the way in, but stand-off weapons such as cruise missiles and the AGM-69 SRAM provided an attack capability from outside of the defensive missile's range. A cruise missile is a guided Missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system usually a Jet engine, to allow The Boeing AGM-69 SRAM (Short-range attack missile was a nuclear Air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog Low-altitude flight also made the bombers very difficult to detect from aircraft at higher altitudes, including interceptors, as radar systems of that generation could not "look down" due to the clutter that resulted from ground reflections.

Operations at low levels would limit the B-70 to subsonic speed, while dramatically decreasing its range due to much higher fuel requirements. The result would be an aircraft with similar speed but much less range than the B-52 it would have replaced. This was not a purely theoretical issue, this exact problem had actually occurred with the B-58, another high-speed aircraft that was forced into the low-level role to avoid missile defenses. The design had "spent" a lot in gaining medium-range Mach 2 performance, but at low altitudes it had strictly subsonic performance and such dramatically reduced range that it limited the selection of targets that could be assigned to it. The "outdated" B-52 outperformed it, as it would have the B-70.

Unsuited for this new role, the viability of the B-70 as a bomber was questioned. Citing high cost, a growing ICBM force, and poor survivability against missiles,^[4] the operational fleet was canceled in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, and the program was changed to a supersonic research program. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of ^[5]

The B-52 soldiers on

Although never intended for the low-level role, the B-52's flexibility allowed it to outlast its intended successor as the nature of the air war environment changed.

Additionally, no other aircraft had anything close to the B-52's bombload capacity. During the Vietnam War, B-52s with "big belly" modifications delivered massive loads of high explosive bombs. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia They proved effective against both industrial targets as well as troop concentrations. With improved coordination with ground spotters, three-plane formations at high altitude had proven to be highly effective ground-attack weapons. The same would not be true of the Valkyrie, which would have had limited uses in the conventional bombing role and featured a much smaller bombload at 25,000 pounds (11,000 kg). ^[6]

That was not to say the B-52 was a perfect solution to these problems. Higher speed would aid even a low-level approach in the strategic role, something the F-111 was taking advantage of. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In the high-load tactical role the aircraft was limited to a small number of airfields due to its very long takeoff roll. By the early 1960s the state of the art in engine and airframe design had improved considerably, an aircraft designed to the B-52's roles could meet both of these additional requirements. This article is about the Amiga demo for other uses see State of the art (disambiguation. Although the B-52 had proven to be surprisingly adaptable in both the strategic and tactical roles, during the early 1960s a number of studies followed these technical developments in order to design a worthy B-52 replacement.

AMSA

The first such study was known as the Subsonic Low Altitude Bomber (SLAB), which was completed in 1961. This was followed by the similar Extended Range Strike Aircraft (ERSA), which added a Variable-sweep wing planform, something then very much in vogue in the aviation industry. A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight A planform or Plan view is a vertical Orthographic projection of an object on a horizontal plane like a Map. ^[7] ERSA envisioned a relatively small aircraft with a 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) load and a range of 8,750 nautical miles (16,200 km), with 2,500 nmi (4,600 km) being flown at low altitudes. In August 1963 the similar Low-Altitude Manned Penetrator (LAMP) design was completed, which called for an aircraft with a 20,000 lb (9,000 kg) load and somewhat shorter range of 7,150 nautical miles (13,200 km).

These all culminated in the October 1963 Advanced Manned Precision Strike System (AMPSS), which led to industry studies at Boeing, General Dynamics, and North American. The Boeing Company is a major Aerospace and defense corporation originally founded by William E General Dynamics Corporation ( is a defense conglomerate formed by Mergers and Divestitures and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest Defense contractor North American Aviation was a major US Aircraft manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft including the T-6 Texan trainer the In mid-1964, the USAF had revised its requirements and retitled the project as Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA), which differed from AMPSS primarily in that it also demanded a high-speed high-altitude capability, albeit slower than the Valkyrie at about Mach 2. Rockwell engineers joked that the new name actually stood for "America's Most Studied Aircraft", given the lengthy series of design studies. ^[8]

First cancellation

The ending of the B-70 project had led some to question the need for a newer aircraft in the strategic bombing role at all. The Air Force was adamant about retaining bombers as part of the nuclear "Triad" concept that included bombers, SLBMs and ICBMs in a combined package that complicated the defense. Submarine-launched ballistic missiles or SLBM s are Ballistic missiles delivering Nuclear weapons that are launched from Submarines Modern variants But the arguments for keeping the bombers was hotly debated. The original argument was that the bombers could be kept in the air during times of increased defensive posture, where they would be difficult to attack. Missiles of the era, like the Atlas and Redstone, required a lengthy fuelling procedure immediately before launch, and were therefore vulnerable to air attack while still on the ground. The SM-65 Atlas was a missile built by the Convair Division of General Dynamics. First launched in 1953 the American Redstone Rocket (Redstone missile was a direct descendant of the German V-2. They also had low accuracy; enough to attack cities as a strategic deterrent, but not enough to attack hardened military targets. To attack these targets, the bombers were required.

In the early 1960s newer generations of missiles with solid rocket motors were being introduced that could be launched quickly, even faster than bombers, and were sited in underground silos for protection. A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a Rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants ( Fuel / Oxidizer) Sneak attacks on these weapons would be very difficult for the USSR, which lacked the accuracy in their own weapons and would have to use their bombers in order to be effective against them. US air defenses would have made such an attack extremely unlikely to succeed. Accuracy of the new weapons was so improved that direct attacks against similar weapons in the USSR were a real possibility, and attacks on a military base was now possible. Making matters more troublesome for the Air Force was the introduction and rapid improvement of the U. S. Navy's SLBM force, which had considerably better survivability than either bombers or hardened missile silos. After this period the Air Force used a number of different arguments to make its case for the strategic bomber, including the conventional role and "recall-ability", but these arguments were much less convincing.

One of the biggest critics of the bomber portion of the Triad was Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara who preferred ICBMs over bombers for the Air Force side of the deterrent force. The United States Secretary of Defense ( SECDEF) is the head of the U Robert Strange McNamara (born June 9 1916 in Oakland, California) is an American business executive and former United States Secretary of Defense In testimony before Congress, McNamara said, "The strategic missile forces for 1967-71 will provide more force than is required for 'Assured Destruction' . . . a new advanced strategic aircraft does not at this time appear justified. "^[9] His opposition led to the AMSA program being stopped in 1964. ^[7] The program was revived only a few years later however, and in 1968 an advanced development contract was issued to IBM and North American Rockwell. International Business Machines Corporation abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue", is a multinational Computer Technology Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and McNamara remained opposed to the program in favor of upgrading the existing B-52 fleet, and adding just under 300 FB-111s for shorter range roles then being filled by the B-58. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout He vetoed the AMSA program and cancelled it once again. ^[7]

B-1A program

President Richard Nixon re-established the program after taking office, in keeping with his flexible response strategy that required a broad range of options short of general nuclear war. ^[9] Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird reviewed the programs and decided to lower the numbers of FB-111s claiming it lacked the required range, and recommended that the AMSA design studies be accelerated. Melvin Robert (Bom Laird (born September 1, 1922) is an American politician and writer In April 1969 the program officially became the B-1A. This was the first entry in the new bomber designation series, first created in 1962.

After the prolonged development period, the production contract was finally awarded in 1970. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1970: Events January January 31 - Mikhail Mil dies aged 61 The original program called for two test airframes, five flyable aircraft, and 40 engines. This was cut in 1971 to one ground- and three flight test aircraft (74-0158 through 0160). This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1971: Events January January 6 - the United States Marine Corps First flight was set for April 1974. The company changed its name to Rockwell International and named its aircraft division North American Aircraft Operations in 1973. Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and ^[10] A fourth prototype (76-1074) was ordered in the FY 1976 budget. This fourth aircraft was to be built to production standards. At one time, some 240 B-1As planned to be built, with initial operational capability set for 1979. ^[7]

Rockwell's design featured a number of features common to 1960s U. S. designs. These included the use of variable-sweep wings in order to provide both high lift during takeoff and landing, and low drag during a high-speed dash phase. With the wings set to their widest position the aircraft had considerably better lift and power than the B-52, allowing it to operate from a much wider variety of bases. Penetration of the USSR's defenses would take place in a dash, crossing them as quickly as possible before entering into the less defended "heartland" where speeds could be reduced again. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The large size and fuel capacity of the design would allow this dash portion of the flight to be relatively long.

In order to achieve the required Mach 2 performance at high altitudes, the air intake inlets were variable. In addition, the exhaust nozzles were fully variable. Initially, it had been expected that a Mach 1. 2 performance could be achieved at low altitude, which required that titanium be used in critical areas in the fuselage and wing structure. However, this low altitude performance requirement was lowered to only Mach 0. 85, reducing the amount of titanium, and the overall cost.

Crew escape was provided for using an escape pod that ejected a portion of the entire cockpit with both pilots inside, as opposed to the more conventional ejection seats; it was felt that egress during a high-speed, high-altitude dash would be too dangerous without pressurization. An escape pod is a capsule or craft used to escape a vessel in an emergency usually only big enough for one person In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency A pair of small canards mounted near the nose are part of an active vibration damping system that smooths out the otherwise bumpy low-altitude ride, reducing crew fatigue and improving airframe life. In Aeronautics, canard ( French for Duck) is an airframe configuration of Fixed-wing aircraft in which the Tailplane is ahead of the

An extensive suite of electronics was planned, including a Litton LN-15 inertial navigation system, a Doppler radar altimeter, a Hughes forward-looking infrared, a General Electric APQ-114 forward-looking radar and a Texas Instruments APQ-146 terrain-following radar. Named after inventor Charles Litton Sr, Litton Industries was a large defense contractor in the United States, bought by the Northrop Grumman Corporation An Inertial Navigation System (INS is a Navigation aid that uses a Computer and motion sensors to continuously track the position orientation and Velocity A radar altimeter, radio altimeter, low range radio altimeter (LRRA or simply RA measures Altitude above the Terrain presently beneath Hughes Aircraft Company was a major aerospace and defense company founded by Howard Hughes. A forward looking infrared (FLIR is an imaging device that senses infrared radiation The terrain-following radar, in particular, would allow the B-1 to fly at much lower altitudes during the "dash" phase of the mission than the B-52, which relied on older systems that demanded higher minimum altitudes during bad weather.

Overall it had a range similar to that of the B-52, although more of the flight could be low-level. A combination of flying lower due to better navigation systems and a greatly reduced radar cross section made it much safer from attack by missiles, and the latter also improved its odds against fighters as well. Radar cross section (RCS is a measure of how detectable an object is with a Radar. In situations where fighters were the expected competition (i. e. outside the USSR), its high-speed dash was a potentially useful technique the B-52 could not match. A convincing B-52 replacement had arrived.

New problems

The B-1A mockup review occurred in late October 1971. There were 297 requests for alterations. The first of four prototype B-1A models (s/n 74-0158) flew on 23 December 1974. Events 962 - Byzantine-Arab Wars: Under the future Emperor Nicephorus Phocas, Byzantine troops stormed the city This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1974 Events March March 3 - Turkish Airlines Flight 981, a DC-10 ^[11] As the program continued the per-unit cost continued to rise. In 1970, the estimated per-unit price was $40 million, and by 1972, the cost had risen slightly to $45. 6 million. By 1975, this figure had climbed to $70 million. ^[7]

In 1976 Viktor Belenko defected to Japan with his MiG-25 "Foxbat". Viktor Ivanovich Belenko (Виктор Иванович Беленко (born February 15, 1947) is an American Aerospace Engineer and Lecturer WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout During debriefing he described a new "super-Foxbat" (almost certainly referring to the MiG-31) that had look-down/shoot-down radar systems in order to attack cruise missiles. For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional. Look-down/shoot-down is a capability a radar system is said to possess if it is able to detect track and lock a target moving below the horizon as seen by the radar Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships This would also make any low-level penetration aircraft "visible" and easy to attack. Countering this problem would require another upgrade to the electronic countermeasures suite, already one of the most complex and expensive ever fitted. The debate over the need for the bomber opened anew, and this time the reduced low-speed dash was a particular target. Given the performance and the armament suite that was similar to the B-52, the program was increasingly questioned as a very expensive solution that appeared to have limited benefits over the existing fleet.

The program remained highly controversial. In particular, Senator William Proxmire continually derided it in public, arguing it was an outlandishly expensive dinosaur. Edward William Proxmire ( November 11, 1915 – December 15, 2005) was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the During the 1976 federal election campaign, Jimmy Carter made it one of the Democratic Party's platforms, saying "The B-1 bomber is an example of a proposed system which should not be funded and would be wasteful of taxpayers' dollars. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr (born October 1 1924 was the thirty-ninth President of the United States, serving from 1977 to 1981 and the recipient of the 2002 "^[12]

Another cancellation

When Carter took office in 1977 he ordered a review of the entire program. By this point the projected cost of the program had risen to over $100 million per aircraft, although this was lifetime cost over 20 years. He was informed of the relatively new work on stealth aircraft that had started in 1975, and decided that this was a far better avenue of approach than the B-1. Stealth aircraft are Aircraft that use Stealth technology to make it harder to be detected by radar and other means than conventional aircraft by employing a Pentagon officials also stated that the ALCM launched from the existing B-52 fleet would give the USAF equal capability of penetrating Soviet airspace. The Pentagon is the Headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. The Boeing AGM-86 ALCM ( AGM-86A, AGM-86B and AGM-86C) is an American Subsonic air-launched Cruise missile With a 1,500 statute mile (2,400 km) range, the ALCM could be launched well outside the range of any Soviet defenses, and penetrate at low altitude just like a bomber, but in much greater numbers. A small number of B-52 operating outside interception range could launch hundreds of ALCMs, saturating the defense. A program to improve the B-52 and develop and deploy the ALCM would cost perhaps 20% of the price to deploy the planned 244 B-1A's. ^[12]

On 30 June 1977 Carter announced that the B-1A would be cancelled in favor of ICBMs, SLBMs, and a fleet of modernized B-52s armed with ALCMs. Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays ^[7] Carter called it "one of the most difficult decisions that I've made since I've been in office. " No mention of the stealth work was made public, the program being top secret, but today it is known that he authorized the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project in early 1978, which eventually led to the B-2 Spirit. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[13]

Unsurprisingly, the reaction to the cancellation was split along partisan lines. Robert Dornan claimed, "They're breaking out the vodka and caviar in Moscow. Robert Kenneth "Bob" Dornan (born April 3, 1933) is a Republican and former member of the United States House of Representatives from " In contrast, it appears the Soviets were not at all excited by this development, considering a large number of ALCMs represented a much greater threat than a smaller number of B-1s. Tass commented that "the implementation of these militaristic plans has seriously complicated efforts for the limitation of the strategic arms race. "^[12] Western military leaders were generally happy with the decision. Alexander Haig, then commanding NATO, described the ALCM as an "attractive alternative" to the B-1. Alexander Meigs Haig Jr (born December 2 1924 is a retired four-star General in the United States Army who served as the U The North Atlantic Treaty French General Georges Buis stated "The B-1 is a formidable weapon, but not terribly useful. For the price of one bomber, you can have 200 cruise missiles. "^[12]

Flight tests of the four B-1A prototypes for the B-1A program continued through April 1981. The program included 70 flights totalling 378 hours. A top speed of Mach 2. 22 was reached by the second B-1A. Engine testing also continued during this time with the YF101 engines totalling almost 7,600 hours. ^[14]

Shifting priorities

It was during this period that the Soviets, also acting in proxy through Cuba, started to exert themselves in several new theaters of action, in particular the Cuban support in Angola starting in 1975 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la The Angolan Civil War began in Angola after the end of the war for independence from Portugal in 1975 Angola, officially the Republic of Angola (República de Angola Pronounced ʁɛˈpublikɐ dɨ ɐ̃ˈgɔlɐ Repubilika ya Ngola is a country in south-central The Soviet war in Afghanistan, also known as the Soviet-Afghan War or just the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, was a nine-year conflict involving Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The U. S. strategy to this point was containment and a conventional and nuclear war in Europe, which almost all military planning had been focused on. These newer actions revealed that the military was simply incapable of supporting any sort of effort outside these narrow confines. ^[15]

The Army responded by accelerating its Rapid Deployment Force concept, but suffered from major problems with airlift and sealift capability. A Rapid Deployment Force is a Military formation capable of quick deployment of its forces While gaming a USSR-led invasion of Iran from Afghanistan, then considered (incorrectly) to be a major Soviet goal, it was discovered that only small numbers of units could be in the field in anything close to a week. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. In order to slow an advance while this happened they relied on air power, but critically the Iran-Afghanistan border was outside the U.S. Navy's range, leaving this role to the Air Force. They, in turn, had limited capability to offer ground support in many areas that were outside of the range of friendly airbases. Although the B-52 had the range to support on-demand global missions, the B-52's long runway requirements dramatically limited the forward basing possibilities. In real-world scenarios the capabilities of this force against any given potential target was limited, something the B-1 would be better prepared to handle due to its better takeoff performance and range.

During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan campaigned heavily on the platform that Carter was weak on defense, using the cancellation of the B-1 program as a prime example, a theme he continued using into the 1980s. ^[16] During this time Carter's defense secretary, Harold Brown, announced the stealth bomber project, apparently implying that this was the reason for the B-1 cancellation. Harold Brown may refer to Harold Brown (basketball (1923 -) Harold P Brown later denied this claim, stating Carter was simply opposed to any military buildup. Although Reagan's primary attack on Carter's decision was now rendered moot, he immediately changed his complaint saying that Carter was giving away secrets and politicizing The Pentagon, charges that led to a round of sparring between Brown and Reagan in the press. Interestingly, it was Brown that had led the original AMSA program, but later came to prefer the cruise missile after taking the job of Defense Secretary in 1977.

B-1B program

On taking office, Reagan was faced with the same decision as Carter before; whether to continue with the B-1 for the short term, or to wait for the development of the ATB, a much more advanced aircraft. Palmdale, the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city (on August 24, 1962 He decided to do both. Air Force studies suggested that the existing B-52 fleet with ALCM would remain a credible threat until 1985 , as it was predicted that 75% of the B-52 force would survive to attack its targets. ^[17] After this period the introduction of the SA-10 missile, MiG-31 interceptor and the first Soviet AWACS systems would make them increasingly vulnerable. For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional.

During the FY81 budget funds were given to a new study for a bomber for the 1990s time-frame. These studies led to the Long-Range Combat Aircraft (LRCA) project which compared the B-1, F-111 and ATB as possible solutions. An emphasis was placed on the design being multi-role, as opposed to a purely strategic weapon. ^[17] At the time it was believed the B-1 could be in operation before the B-2, covering the time period between the B-52s increasing vulnerability and the introduction of the ATB. Reagan decided the best solution was to purchase both the B-1 and ATB, and this eventually led to Reagan's 2 October 1981 announcement that a new version of the B-1 was being ordered to fill the LRCA role. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

Numerous changes were made to the design to better fit it to real-world missions, resulting in the new B-1B. These changes included a reduction in maximum speed, which allowed the variable-aspect intake ramps to be replaced by simpler fixed geometry intake ramps in the newer design. Inlet cones (sometimes called shock cones) are a component of some supersonic aircraft This made the B version more radar-stealthy because the compressor faces of the engines, major radar reflectors, would be partially hidden. Low-altitude speed was somewhat improved, from about Mach 0. 85 to 0. 92. ^[18] This left the B-1B with the capability for speeds of about Mach 1. 25 "at altitude," a reduction from the B-1A's Mach 2 performance. In order to deal with the introduction of the MiG-31 and other aircraft with look-down capability, the B-1B's electronic warfare suite was significantly upgraded. Look-down/shoot-down is a capability a radar system is said to possess if it is able to detect track and lock a target moving below the horizon as seen by the radar Electronic warfare ( EW) is the use of the Electromagnetic spectrum to effectively deny the use of this medium by an adversary while optimizing its use by friendly These changes, along with the rampant inflation of the U. In economics inflation or price inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services over a period of time S. economy during the time, dramatically increased the nominal price to about $200 million total projected lifetime cost per completed airframe. Nominal money, in Economics, is the quantity of money measured in a particular Currency and is directly proportional to the Price level.

Opposition to the plan was widespread within Congress. Critics pointed out that many of the original problems with the concept remained. In particular it seemed the B-52 fit with electronics similar to the B-1B would be equally able to avoid interception, as the speed advantage of the B-1 was now minimal. It also appeared that the "interim" time frame served by the B-1B would be less than a decade, being rendered obsolete shortly after introduction by the much more capable ATB design. The primary argument in favor of the B-1 was its large conventional payload, and that its takeoff performance allowed it to operate with a credible bombload from a much wider variety of airfields. The debate remained rancorous. But the Air Force very astutely spread production subcontracts across many congressional districts, making the aircraft more popular on Capitol Hill. Capitol Hill, aside from being a Metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential Neighborhood in Washington D ^[17]

The first production model of the revised B-1B first flew in October 1984, and the first B-1B, "The Star of Abilene", was delivered to Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas, in June 1985,^[11] with initial operational capability on October 1, 1986. Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) southwest of the Central business district of Abilene, Abilene ( "ABBA-leen") is a city in Jones and Taylor Counties in the central part of the U This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1985: Events Ryanair founded initially as a full-service carrier Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1986: Events January January 9 - the UK Defence Secretary Michael The 100th and final B-1B was delivered 2 May 1988. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) ^[11]

Although officially nicknamed the "Lancer", B-1 crews almost never refer to the aircraft by this name. Crews prefer to call the B-1 the "Bone". Origins of the "Bone" nickname are disputed, but appear to stem from an early newspaper article about the aircraft wherein its name was phonetically spelled out as "B-ONE" and inadvertently omitted the hyphen. ^[19] Crews, who generally felt the "Lancer" moniker was unappealing, quickly latched onto the "Bone" nickname.

Design

The B-1 has a blended wing body configuration, with variable-sweep wing, triangular fin control surfaces and four turbofan engines, to improve range and speed with enhanced survivability. Blended Wing Body, or BWB designates an alternative airframe design which incorporates design features from both a traditional tube and wing design into a hybrid Flying wing A Variable-sweep wing is an Aeroplane Wing that may be swept back and then returned to its original position during flight specific --->A jet engine is a Reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet of Fluid to Survivability is the ability to remain alive or continue to exist Forward swept wing settings are used for takeoff, landings and high-altitude maximum cruise. Takeoff is the phase of Flight in which an Aircraft goes through a transition from moving along the ground ( Taxiing) to flying in the air usually Landing is the last part of a Flight, where a flying Animal, Aircraft, or Spacecraft returns to the ground Cruise is the level portion of aircraft travel where flight is most fuel efficient Aft swept wing settings are used in high subsonic and supersonic flight. The wings of the B-1B originally were cleared for use at settings of 15, 25, 55, and 67. 5 degrees. The 45-degree setting was later cleared in 1998–99 timeframe.

The length of the aircraft presented a serious flexing problem due to air turbulence at low altitude. To alleviate this, Rockwell included small canards near the nose on the B-1. An accelerometer would actuate the canards automatically to counteract turbulence and smooth out the ride. ^[20]

Unlike the B-1A, the B-1B made no attempt at Mach 2+ speeds. Its maximum speed at altitude is Mach 1. 25 (about 950 mph or 1,530 km/h),^[21] but its low-level speed increased to Mach 0. 92 (700 mph, 1,130 km/h). ^[22] Technically, the current version of the aircraft can exceed its speed restriction, but not without risking potential damage to its structure and air intakes. The B-1A's engine was modified slightly to produce the F101-102, with an emphasis on durability, and increased efficiency. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[23] The core of this engine has since been re-used in several other engine designs, including the F110 which has seen use in the F-14 Tomcat, F-15K/SG variants and most recent versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout It is also the basis for the non-afterburning F118 used in the B-2 Spirit bomber and the U-2S. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However its greatest success was forming the core of the extremely popular CFM56 civil engine, which can be found on some versions of practically every small-to-medium sized airliner. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout It includes with an "Alert Start" panel on the nosegear, which quickly activated the engines upon order to scramble.

The B-1's offensive avionics include the Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) AN/APQ-164 forward-looking offensive passive electronically scanned array radar set with electronic beam steering (and a fixed antenna pointed downward for reduced radar observability), synthetic aperture radar, ground moving target indicator (MTI), and terrain-following radar modes, Doppler navigation, radar altimeter, and an inertial navigation suite. Avionics means "aviation electronics" It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft artificial satellites and spacecraft comprising Communications Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems was created by Northrop Grumman's acquisition of Westinghouse Electronic Systems Group in 1996 Northrop Grumman Corporation ( is an Aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. A passive electronically scanned array (PESA as opposed to its active counterpart AESA, is a Phased array which has a central radiofrequency Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR is a form of Radar in which the highly-directional (and thus very large rotating antenna used by conventional radar is replaced with many low-directivity An altimeter is an instrument used to measure the Altitude of an object above a fixed level An Inertial Navigation System (INS is a Navigation aid that uses a Computer and motion sensors to continuously track the position orientation and Velocity From 1995 on, the B-1B Block D upgrade added a Global Positioning System receiver. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth

The B-1's defensive electronics include the Eaton AN/ALQ-161 radar warning and defensive jamming equipment, linked to a total of eight AN/ALE-49 flare dispensers located on top behind the canopy, which are handled by the AN/ASQ-184 avionics management system. Eaton Corporation ( is a diversified industrial manufacturer with 2007 sales of $13 A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of Pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an Explosion. The AN/ALE-49 dispenser has a capacity of 12 MJU-23A/B flares each. The MJU-23A/B flare is one of the world's largest infrared countermeasure flares having a gross weight of ~1170 g. ^[24] The cylindrical Magnesium/Teflon/Viton pellet has a net weight of ~1470 g. MTV is an acronym for Pyrolants based on Magnesium / Teflon / Viton. The Plans for a defensive systems upgrade program (DSUP) were cancelled for budgetary reasons. The B-1 has also been equipped to carry the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System. The AN/ALE-50 Towed Decoy System is an anti-missile countermeasures decoy system used on multiple U ^[25] The Lancer has an additional Doppler tail-warning radar to detect aircraft or missiles approaching from the rear.

Also aiding the B-1's survivability is its relatively low radar cross-section (RCS). Radar cross section (RCS is a measure of how detectable an object is with a Radar. Although not technically a stealth aircraft in a comprehensive sense, thanks to the aircraft's structure, serpentine intake paths and use of radar-absorbent material its RCS is about 1/50th that of the B-52 (probably about 26 ft²/2. Stealth aircraft are Aircraft that use Stealth technology to make it harder to be detected by radar and other means than conventional aircraft by employing a 4 m²), although the Lancer is not substantially smaller in mass than the Stratofortress.

The B-1 has been upgraded since production through the "Conventional Mission Upgrade Program". This multi-stage program added a new MIL-STD-1760 smart-weapons interface that enables the use of the Joint Direct Attack Munition and other precision-guided conventional weapons, such as the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), and the AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air to Surface Standoff Munition). The MIL-STD-1760 communications bus is derived from the earlier MIL-STD-1553 and provides additional safety features such as message integrity validation using CRCs Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a tail kit for use with the TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser family of Cluster bombs to convert them to Precision-guided The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon ( JSOW) is the product of a joint venture between the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized The AGM-158 JASSM ( Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is a Cruise missile developed in the United States. Future precision munitions include the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. The GBU-39 Small-Diameter Bomb ( SDB) is a 250 pound (113 kg) Guided bomb that is intended to provide Aircraft with the ability ^[26] These and other improvements are intended to ensure that the B-1 will be viable through approximately 2020. In addition, the Air Force has recently announced a program to keep the aircraft flying until at least 2040.

Operational history

The USAF Strategic Air Command (SAC) had B-1 Lancers in service from 1986 through 1992, when SAC was re-organized out of existence. The Strategic Air Command (SAC was both a major command and a "specified command" in the U During that time the "Bone" was on limited alert, and the backbone of SAC's alert bombers remained B-52H models. In late 1990 engine fires in two Lancers caused the grounding of the fleet. The cause was traced back to problems in the first-stage fan. Aircraft were placed on "limited alert", meaning they were grounded unless a nuclear war broke out. They were returned to duty one-at-a-time starting in January 1991 as they were inspected and repaired. It was not until mid-April that the fleet was once again declared airworthy.

Originally designed strictly for nuclear war, the B-1's development as an effective conventional bomber was delayed until the 1990s. By 1991, the B-1 had a fledgling conventional capability, forty of them able to drop the 500 lb (230 kg) Mk-82 General Purpose (GP) bomb, although mostly from low altitude. Although cleared for this role, the problems with the engines precluded their use in Operation Desert Storm. Also, B-1s were reserved for strategic nuclear strike missions at this time. ^[27]

After the absorption of Strategic Air Command (SAC) into Air Combat Command in 1992, the B-1 began to truly develop conventionally. Air Combat Command ( ACC) is a major command (MAJCOM of the United States Air Force. A key part of this development was the start-up of the B-1 Weapons School Division, also in 1992. By the mid-1990s, the B-1 could employ GP weapons as well as various CBUs. By the end of the 1990s, with the advent of the "Block D" upgrade, the B-1 boasted a full array of guided and unguided munitions. This development has continued through the present.

Operationally, the B-1 was first used in combat in support of operations against Iraq during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998, employing unguided GP weapons. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The December 1998 bombing of Iraq (code-named Operation Desert Fox) was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16 - December 19 B-1s have been subsequently used in Operation Allied Force (Kosovo) and most notably in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF is the official name used by the U The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia In both conflicts, the B-1 employed its full array of conventional weapons, most notably the GBU-31, 2,000 lb (900 kg) Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force During OEF, the B-1 improved its mission capable rate to 79%. ^[25] The B-1 continues to be used in combat to the present day. The most recent addition to its arsenal is the GBU-38, a 500 lb (230 kg) JDAM. The use of the GBU-38 reduces undesired collateral damage and is very useful in urban Close Air Support. Collateral damage is damage that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome In Military tactics, close air support ( CAS) is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to

The B-1 now fills an important niche in the Air Force inventory. The project finished on budget, and the B-1 has higher survivability and speed when compared to the older B-52, which it was intended to replace. With the arrival of limited numbers of B-2s in the 1990s and the continuing use of B-52s, its value has been questioned. However, the capability of a high-speed strike with a large bomb payload for time-sensitive operations is useful, and no new strategic bomber is on the immediate horizon.

The B-1 holds several FAI world records for speed, and time-to-climb in different aircraft weight classes. The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI is the world governing body for Air sports and Aeronautics and Astronautics world records ^[28] The National Aeronautic Association recognized the B-1B for completing one of the 10 most memorable record flights for 1994. The National Aeronautic Association of the United States ( NAA) is a member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI the international standard ^[25]

Recent developments

A total of 100 B-1Bs were produced with 93 bombers remaining in 2000 after losses in accidents. In 2003, the USAF decided to retire 33 of the B-1Bs to concentrate its budget on maintaining availability of the remaining aircraft, although in 2004 a new appropriations bill called for some of the retired aircraft to return to service. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 2003 Events February February 1 - The Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates An appropriation bill or supply bill is a legislative motion ( Bill) which authorizes the Government to spend money In 2004, the USAF returned seven of the mothballed bombers to service, giving a total force of 67 aircraft, with the rest cannibalized for spares. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 2004: Events January 2 - Several British Airways flights from Five of the seven that were brought back to service went to Dyess AFB in Texas, one to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, and another to Edwards AFB, California. Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base near Rapid City in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County California in the Antelope In 2005, The Pentagon announced the closing of Ellsworth AFB and the transfer of all operational B-1s to Dyess AFB as part of the 2005 BRAC round. The preliminary 2005 Base Realignment and Closure list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. However, on 26 August 2005, it was announced that Ellsworth AFB would remain open; thus, no transfer of Ellsworth's B-1s would occur. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

On 14 July 2007, the Associated Press reported on the growing USAF presence in Iraq as a result of "surge" in forces. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Also mentioned is the reintroduction of B-1Bs to be a close-at-hand "platform" to support Coalition ground forces. ^[29] As of 2008, the B-1 is being used in Iraq in close support of ground troops by delivering precision-guided bombs. ^[30]

On 19 March 2008, a B-1B from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, became the first US Air Force aircraft to fly at supersonic speed using a synthetic fuel during in a flight over Texas and New Mexico. Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) southwest of the Central business district of Abilene, Synthetic fuel or synfuel is any Liquid fuel obtained from Coal, Natural gas, or Biomass. The B-1B is undergoing flight testing using a 50/50 mix of synthetic and petroleum fuel as part of an ongoing Air Force testing program. ^[31]

Variants

B-1A/B

The B-1A was original B-1 design with variable engine intakes and Mach 2. 2 top speed. Four prototypes were built.

The B-1B is the improved B-1 design with reduced radar signature and a top speed of Mach 1. 25. A total of 100 B-1Bs were produced.

B-1R

The B-1R is a proposed replacement for the B-1B fleet. ^[32] Boeing's director of global strike integration, Rich Parke, was first quoted about the "B-1R" bomber in Air Force Magazine. ^[33] Parke said the B-1R (R stands for "regional") would be a Lancer with advanced radars, air-to-air missiles, and Pratt & Whitney F119 engines (originally developed for the F-22 Raptor). WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[33] Its new top speed of Mach 2. 2 would be purchased at the price of a 20% reduction of the B-1B's combat range. This proposal would involve modifying existing aircraft. The FB-22 and YF-23-based design are alternative proposals. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Boeing's proposal appears to modify the B-1B into a design able to serve these two purposes. For the bomb-truck role Boeing proposes the modification of existing external hardpoints to allow them to carry multiple conventional warheads, dramatically improving overall warload. For the air-to-air role, both defensive and offensive, they propose to add active electronically-scanned array radar and allow some of the hardpoints to carry anti-aircraft missiles. Even with its somewhat reduced range as compared to the original B-1B, its fuel capacity remains quite large. This would allow it to escape from unfavorable air-to-air encounters by simply running away; there are few enough aircraft capable of Mach 2+ performance in general, and those that are deployed can maintain these speeds for only very short periods of time. ^[32]

In general terms the B-1R most closely resembles the original F-111 concept, as opposed to a pure bomber role. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout However, it would be able to carry out these missions at ranges even greater than the F-111.

Upgrades

The Conventional Mission Upgrade Program (CMUP) will enhance the airplane's effectiveness as a conventional weapons carrier. Capability will be delivered in blocks attained by hardware modifications and software updates. ^[34]

• Block A: Standard design of the B-1B with the capability to deliver non-precision Mk-82 500 lb gravity bombs. Before CMUP all B-1Bs were designated as "Block A" models.
• Block B: Improved Synthetic Aperture Radar, as well as some upgrades to the Defensive Countermeasures System. This upgrade reached the field in 1995.
• Block C: "Enhanced Capability" provided for delivery of up to 30 Cluster Bomb Units (CBUs) per sortie. The upgrade consists of modification for B-1B bomb module from the original configuration of 28 x 500 lb bombs per unit to 10 x 1,000 lb cluster bombs per bomb rack. The modifications were made to 50 bomb racks. This capability was completed in August 1997.
• Block D: "Near Precision Capability" gives B-1 aircrews increased abilities to accurately put bombs on target with improved weapons and targeting systems, as well as giving them advanced secure communications capabilities. The first part of the electronic countermeasures upgrade, addition of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), ALE-50 Towed Decoy System, and anti-jam radios are also included. The AN/ALE-50 Towed Decoy System is an anti-missile countermeasures decoy system used on multiple U ^[35]
• Block E: This upgrade covers improvements to the avionics computers. This package also incorporates the Wind-Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), substantially improving the bomber's capability. Upgrades were completed in September 2006. ^[36]
• Block F: The Defensive Systems Upgrade Program (DSUP) improves the aircraft's electronic countermeasures and jamming capabilities. This includes the Towed Decoy System (TDS). Upgrades were canceled in December 2002 due to cost overruns and schedule slips. ^[37]

After the CMUP program, upgrades will provide for better network centric capability. A program was begun in 2005 to provide integrated data linking and upgraded crew station displays. ^[38] Integration of the Sniper targeting pod is underway. The Lockheed Martin Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod (Sniper ATP provides positive target identification autonomous tracking coordinate generation and precise weapons guidance The pod is mounted on an external hardpoint at the aircraft's chin near the forward bomb bay. Due to accelerated testing the Sniper pod is expected to be fielded in summer 2008. ^[39][40]

Operators

•  United States
  • U.S. Air Force
    • 96th Bombardment Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Abilene, Texas (1984-1992)
      • 4018th Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS) (1984-1985)
      • 338th Bombardment Squadron (1985-1992)
      • 337th Bombardment Squadron (1985-1992)
    • 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Abilene, Texas
      • 9th Bomb Squadron (1992-present)
      • 13th Bomb Squadron (2000-2005)
      • 28th Bomb Squadron (1992-present)
    • 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota
      • 34th Bomb Squadron (2002-present)
      • 37th Bomb Squadron (1986-present)
      • 77th Bomb Squadron (1986-1995, 1996-2002)
    • 319th Bombardment Wing, Grand Forks Air Force Base, Grand Forks, North Dakota (1986-1994)
      • 46th Bomb Squadron (1986-1994)
    • 384th Bombardment Wing, McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas (1987-1994)
      • 28th Bomb Squadron (1987-1994)
    • 366th Wing, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho (1994-2002)
      • 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base (1994-1997), Mountain Home Air Force Base (1997-2002)
    • 184th Bomb Wing, Kansas Air National Guard, McConnell AFB, Wichita, Kansas (1994-2002)
      • 127th Bomb Squadron, Kansas Air National Guard (1994-2002)
    • 116th Bombardment Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, Robins AFB, Georgia (1995-2002)
      • 128th Bombardment Squadron, Georgia Air National Guard (1995-2002)
    • 53d Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida
      • 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas
    • 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada
      • B-1 Division, USAF Weapons School, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota (1992-2002)
      • 77th Weapons Squadron, USAF Weapons School, Dyess AFB, Texas (2002-present)

Survivors

The first B-1A (s/n 74-0158) was disassembled and used for radar testing at the Rome Air Development Center, New York. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States Air Force 's 96th Air Base Wing ( 96 ABW) is a unit located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The 7th Bomb Wing ( 7 BW) is the premier operational B-1B Lancer unit in the United States Air Force, based at Dyess Air Force Base, Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) southwest of the Central business district of Abilene, The 28th Bomb Wing ( 28 BW) is the United States Air Force home of the B-1B Lancer, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base near Rapid City in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The United States Air Force 's 384th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air Expeditionary unit located at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain, until 2004 The 53d Wing ( 53 WG) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States The 337th Test and Evaluations Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. The 57th Wing ( 57 WG) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada. Nellis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Clark County, Nevada. The mission of the USAF Weapons School or United States Air Force Weapons School, is to teach graduate-level instructor courses which provide the world's most advanced The Rome Laboratory, formerly known as the Rome Air Development Center, is a Research and development lab run by the US Air Force located at Griffiss ^[41] The second (s/n 74-0159) flew for the subsequent B-1B program, but crashed on 29 August 1984. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1984: Events February February 21 - 14 hours and 2 minutes after taking ^[42] The third prototype (s/n 74-0160) is on display at Wings Over the Rockies Museum in Denver, Colorado. The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum (WOR is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver Colorado. The City and County of Denver (pronounced /ˈdɛnvɚ/ is the Capital and the most populous city of Colorado, in the United States The fourth and last B-1A (s/n 74-0174) was on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio for many years before moving to the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official National Museum of the United States Air Dayton is a city in southwestern Ohio, United States. It is the County seat and largest city of Montgomery County. Strategic Air and Space Museum is a museum focusing on United States Air Force military aircraft and Nuclear missiles located near Ashland Nebraska, along Ashland is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. This aircraft has conventional ejection seats and other features distinctive to the B-1B variant instead of the B-1A. In Aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military in an emergency

Accidents and incidents

Between 1984 and 2001, 17 people have been killed in B-1 crashes. ^[43]

• On 29 August 1984, a B-1A stalled and crashed while performing minimum control speed tests at low altitude. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) ^[44] The crew used the escape capsule to leave the bomber, but the parachute deployed improperly and the pilot, Doug Benefield, was killed on impact. An escape crew capsule allows a pilot (or Astronaut) to escape from their craft while it is subjected to extreme conditions such ^[42]
• In September 1987, a B-1B (84-0052) from the 96th Bomb Wing, 338th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB crashed near La Junta, Colorado, while flying on a low-level training route. The United States Air Force 's 96th Air Base Wing ( 96 ABW) is a unit located at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) southwest of the Central business district of Abilene, The City of La Junta is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and the most populous city of Otero County, Colorado, This was the only B-1B crash to occur with six crew members aboard. The three crew members in ejection seats survived. The other three perished; two were in jump seats, and the third was in an ejection seat. The crash investigation revealed that malfunctioning logic chips may have caused the fourth ejection seat to fail. The root cause of the accident was thought to be a bird strike on a wing's leading edge during the low-level flight. The impact was severe enough to sever the fuel and hydraulic lines running along the forward spar that served that side of the aircraft, whereas the other side and its two engines functioned long enough to enable the three crew members to eject. The B-1B fleet was later modified to protect the various supply lines which lie along the edge. ^[45]
• In November 1988, a B-1B (85-0063) from the 96th Bomb Wing, 337th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB crashed near Tye, Texas after a fire broke out above left engines. All four crew members successfully ejected from the aircraft. ^[45]
• In November 1988, a B-1B (85-0076) from the 28th Bomb Wing, 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB crashed short of the runway at Ellsworth AFB during adverse weather. The 28th Bomb Wing ( 28 BW) is the United States Air Force home of the B-1B Lancer, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base near Rapid City in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. All four crew members successfully ejected from the aircraft. ^[45]
• In October 1990, while flying in a training route in eastern Colorado, a B-1B (86-0128) from the 384th Bomb Wing, 28th Bomb Squadron, McConnell AFB, experienced an explosion as the engines reached military power. The United States Air Force 's 384th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air Expeditionary unit located at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain, until 2004 McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km south of the Central business district of Wichita, a city in Fire on the aircraft's left was spotted. The #1 engine was shut down and its fire extinguisher was activated. A fire extinguisher is an Active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires often in emergency situations The accident investigation determined that the engine had suffered catastrophic failure, in which engine blades cut through the engine mounts, causing the engine to detach from the aircraft. ^[45]
• In December 1990, a B-1B (83-0071) from the 96th Bomb Wing, 337th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas experienced a jolt and the #3 engine was shut down with its fire fire extinguisher activating. This event, coupled with the October 1990 engine incident, led to a 50+ day grounding of the B-1Bs not on nuclear alert. The problem was eventually traced back to problems in the first-stage fan, and all B-1Bs were equipped with modified engines. ^[45]
• In November 1992, a B-1B (86-0106) from the 7th Bomb Wing, 337th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas flying on a low-level training flight crashed into a mountain near Van Horn, Texas. The 7th Bomb Wing ( 7 BW) is the premier operational B-1B Lancer unit in the United States Air Force, based at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Van Horn is a town in Culberson County, Texas, United States. All four members of the crew were killed. The cause was attributed to pilot error. ^[45]
• In September 1997, a B-1B (85-0078) from the 28th Bomb Wing, 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, flying in the Powder River Military Operating Area crashed near Alzada, Montana, approximately 80 miles north of Rapid City, South Dakota. The 28th Bomb Wing ( 28 BW) is the United States Air Force home of the B-1B Lancer, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Alzada is an unincorporated community in Carter County in the southeastern corner of the U Rapid City is the second-largest city in the US state of South Dakota, and the County seat of Pennington County. All four members of the crew were killed. ^[46] The review board found the bomber struck the ground while decreasing speed and making an abrupt turn to evade a threat. ^[45]
• In February 1998, a B-1B (84-0057) from the 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess AFB, Texas was crashed near Marion, Kentucky when a fire in the cockpit instrument panel shut down the aircraft's power. Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Kentucky, United States. All four crew members were able to eject and were rescued safely. ^[47] In response to a warning light on the #3 engine, the crew shut down the fuel pumps to that engine. However, a panel electrical short caused a fire that shut down fuel to all the engines and prevented them from being restarted.

• In December 2001, a B-1B (86-0114) from the 28th Bomb Wing, 37th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, was lost over the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface All four crew members successfully ejected and were rescued. The bomber (of the 28th Bomb Wing,^[48] designated ICECUBE 44) was approximately 100 miles north of its Diego Garcia departure point, flying en route to a long-range combat mission over Afghanistan, when the crew declared an in-flight emergency. Diego Garcia is the largest Atoll, in terms of land area in Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Details remain classified. The pilot, Capt. William Steele, attributed the crash to "multiple malfunctions" causing the bomber to go "out of control". ^[43] Further information from maintenance specialists related the aircraft mishap to the aircrew experiencing electrical bus failures that contributed to an instrument blackout affecting both primary and backup instruments. It was also rumored that at the time the aircrew ejected the aircraft was not in level flight but inverted and quickly heading nose-down towards the Indian Ocean. With no visual reference of level flight available to the aircrew, the four crew members ejected safely. Because of the depth of the water in which the aircraft crashed, the structural data collector (SDC) or "Black Box" was not recovered from the wreckage and the nature of the cause was not positively determined. The flight data recorder ( FDR) or Black Box is a Flight recorder used to record specific Aircraft performance parameters The aircraft had recently returned from Ellsworth AFB from a routine Phase Inspection, and was on its first combat mission after returning to Diego Garcia. Diego Garcia is the largest Atoll, in terms of land area in Chagos Archipelago, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. Hostile fire was ruled out as a cause of the crash. The crew spent two hours in the water before being rescued by a launch from the USS Russell. This was the first B-1B to be lost in combat operations since the model became operational in 1986. ^[43]
• On 15 September 2005 a B-1B (85-0066) was extensively damaged by fire while landing at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. Events 668 - Eastern Roman Emperor Constans II is assassinated in his bath at Syracuse Italy. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base on the northern end of the island of Guam, largely within the village of Yigo but also stretching Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated The investigation into the incident concluded that leaking hydraulic fluid and sparks from a wheel being gouged caused a fire to start in the aircraft's right main landing gear as it touched down. The resulting fire damaged the B-1's right wing, nacelle, airframe and landing gear, leading to an estimated repair cost of more than $32 million. ^[49]
• In May 2006, a B-1B (86-0132) from the 7th Bomb Wing, 9th Bomb Squadron, Dyess AFB, Texas, landed "gear-up" during recovery from an 11-hour ferry flight to Diego Garcia. A resulting fire was quickly extinguished and the crew escaped through the top hatch. The copilot suffered a minor back injury; the three other crew members were not injured. The Air Force investigation concluded that the pilots "forgot to lower the landing gear". In Aviation, the undercarriage or landing gear is the structure (usually wheels that supports an Aircraft on the ground and allows it to taxi Damage to the aircraft and runway totaled approximately $8 million. ^[50] Four days later the aircraft was raised and its landing gear deployed. The B-1B returned to normal service in 2007. ^[51]
• In August 2007, a B-1B had an engine fire and made an emergency landing at Kandahar airport in Afghanistan. Crews removed the damaged engine and flew the aircraft out in October. ^[52]
• On 4 April 2008, a B-1B caught fire while taxiing after landing in Qatar. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Qatar ( قطر; ˈqɑtˁɑr local pronunciation giṭar officially the State of Qatar (Arabic دولة قطر transliterated The crew safely evacuated the aircraft. ^[53] The plane was carrying multiple bombs at the time, some or all of which detonated during the fire. ^[54] The aircraft was a total loss. ^[55]

Specifications (B-1B)

Data from USA Fact Sheet,^[25] Jenkins,^[56] Pace^[22]

General characteristics

• Crew: 4 (aircraft commander, copilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer)
• Length: 146 ft (44. 5 m)
• Wingspan:
  
  • Extended: 137 ft (41. The wingspan (or just span) of an airplane or a Bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip 8 m)
  • Swept: 79 ft (24. 1 m)
• Height: 34 ft (10. 4 m)
• Wing area: 1,950 ft² (181. 2 m²)
• Airfoil: NA69-190-2
• Empty weight: 192,000 lb (87,100 kg)
• Loaded weight: 326,000 lb (148,000 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 477,000 lb (216,400 kg)
• Powerplant: 4× General Electric F101-GE-102 augmented turbofans
  • Dry thrust: 14,600 lbf (64. An airfoil (in American English) or aerofoil (in British English) is the shape of a Wing or blade (of a Propeller, rotor The NACA airfoils are Airfoil shapes for aircraft wings developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA The Maximum Takeoff Weight or Maximum Takeoff Mass of an Aircraft is the maximum weight at which the pilot of the aircraft is allowed to attempt to take off WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A turbofan is a type of Jet engine, similar to a Turbojet. It essentially consists of a Ducted fan with a smaller diameter turbojet engine 9 kN) each
  • Thrust with afterburner: 30,780 lbf (136. The AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs 92 kN) each
• Fuel capacity, optional: 10,000 U. S. gal (38,000 L) fuel tank for 1-3 internal weapons bays each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 1. In Aviation, V-speeds or Velocity-speeds are standard terms used to define Airspeeds important or useful to the operation of Aircraft, such Mach number (\mathrm{Ma} or M (generally ˈmɑːk sometimes /ˈmɑːx/ or /ˈmæk/ is the speed of an object moving through air or any Fluid 25 (950 mph, 1,529 km/h) at altitude (Mach 0. 92, 700 mph, 1,130 km/h at low level)
• Range: 6,478 nmi (7,456 mi, 11,998 km)
• Combat radius: 2,993 nmi (3,445 mi, 5,543 km)
• Service ceiling 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
• Wing loading: 167 lb/ft² (816 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0. The maximal total range is the distance an Aircraft can fly between Takeoff and Landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft or cross-country In Aeronautics, a ceiling is the maximum Density altitude an aircraft can reach under a set of conditions In Aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing Thrust-to-weight ratio is as its name suggests the ratio of instantaneous Thrust to Weight (where weight means weight at the Earth ’s surface 37

Armament

• Hardpoints: six external hardpoints for 59,000 lb (27,000 kg) of ordnance (use for weapons currently restricted by START I treaty) and 3 internal bomb bays for 75,000 lb (34,000 kg) of ordnance to carry from:
• Missiles:
  
  • 24× AGM-158 JASSM
  • 12× AGM-154 JSOW
• Bombs:
  
  • 84× Mk-82AIR inflatable retarder general purpose bombs^[57]
  • 81× Mk-82 low drag general purpose bombs^[58]
  • 84× Mk-62 Quickstrike sea mines^[59]
  • 8× Mk-65 naval mines
  • 30× CBU-87/89/CBU-97 Cluster Bomb Units (CBU)^[60]
  • 30× CBU-103/104/105 WCMD
  • 24× GBU-31 JDAM GPS guided bombs^[61]
  • 15× GBU-38 JDAM GPS guided bombs (Mk-82 general purpose warhead)^[62]
  • 24× Mk-84 general purpose bombs
  • 96× or 144× GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb GPS guided bombs^[63]
  • 16x B61 thermonuclear variable-yield gravity bombs^[64]

Avionics

• 1× Westinghouse AN/APQ-164 forward-looking offensive passive phased-array radar
• 1× Eaton AN/ALQ-161 radar warning and defensive jamming equipment
• 1× AN/ASQ-184 defensive management system
• 1× Lockheed Martin Sniper XR targeting pod^[65](optional)^[66]

Popular culture

The B-1 and B-52 bombers have been featured frequently in author Dale Brown's books. START (for St rategic A rms R eduction T reaty is a Treaty between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet The AGM-158 JASSM ( Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is a Cruise missile developed in the United States. The AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon ( JSOW) is the product of a joint venture between the United States Navy and Air Force to deploy a standardized The Mark 82 (Mk 82 is an unguided low- drag General-purpose bomb ( Dumb bomb) part of the U The Mark 82 (Mk 82 is an unguided low- drag General-purpose bomb ( Dumb bomb) part of the U Airforce CBU-89/B The Airforce CBU-89/B is a 1000-pound cluster munition containing 72 antitank and 22 antipersonnel mines consists of an SUU-64 Tactical Munitions Dispenser The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a tail kit for use with the TMD (Tactical Munitions Dispenser family of Cluster bombs to convert them to Precision-guided Overview The JDAM is not a weapon rather it is a "bolt-on" upgrade for unguided gravity bombs installed during build up of the munition by Naval Ordnancemen or Air Force The Mark 84 is an American General-purpose bomb, the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons The GBU-39 Small-Diameter Bomb ( SDB) is a 250 pound (113 kg) Guided bomb that is intended to provide Aircraft with the ability The B61 Nuclear bomb is the primary Thermonuclear weapon in the U This article is about general theory and electromagnetic phased array Radar is a system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range altitude direction or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as Aircraft, ships The Lockheed Martin Sniper XR Advanced Targeting Pod (Sniper ATP provides positive target identification autonomous tracking coordinate generation and precise weapons guidance Dale Brown (born November 2 1956) is an American author most famous for his military-action-aviation techno-thrillers with thirteen New A B-1 carries the President to NORAD, during an alien invasion in the Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle science fiction novel Footfall. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938 Los Angeles California) is a US Science fiction author. Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American Science fiction Writer, Essayist and Journalist Footfall is a 1985 Science fiction Novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

The unofficial 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again features a cruise missile launch from a B-1 (although a sequence in which cruise missiles are loaded onto the B-1 was filmed with a Concorde SST substituting for the B-1's undercarriage). James Bond 007 is a Fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve Novels and two Short story Never Say Never Again, released in 1983, is the second screen adaptation of Ian Fleming 's novel Thunderball and a non- EON Productions A cruise missile is a guided Missile that carries an explosive payload and uses a lifting wing and a propulsion system usually a Jet engine, to allow WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout ^[67] In the 1985 film Real Genius, the laser weapon that is developed by Chris Knight is mounted in a B-1's bomb bay. Real Genius is a 1985 Comedy film starring Val Kilmer and Gabriel Jarret.

Gallery

B-1A nose section with ejection capsule denoted	Tail section.	Rear section with pointed radome.	Rudder and tail.
Main gear.	Nose gear.	Top view of swing wing.	Bomb bay.

See also

Comparable aircraft

• Tupolev Tu-160
• Tupolev Tu-22M
  

Related lists

• List of bomber aircraft
• List of active United States military aircraft
  

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• B-1B Fact Sheet and B-1 System Program Office on USAF web site
• B-1B product page and B-1B history page on Boeing.com
• B-1 history page on NASA/Langley Research Center site
• B-1 page on GlobalSecurity.org, Detailed History, Development and Data
• B-1B Lancer USAF 20-year history article
• Boeing Wins $45 Million U.S. Air Force B-1B Upgrade Contract

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