Warplanes of the USA: Rockwell B-1 Lancer

Rockwell B-1 Lancer

(USAF Photo)

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft from the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) stands by as another Lancer connects with a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft Feb. 23, 2012 for inflight refueling during a mission over the Gulf of Mexico near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The 337th TES is a geographically separated unit of the 53rd Wing, which is headquartered at Eglin AFB. The 337th TES is responsible for operational testing of all B-1B defensive and offensive systems and weapons upgrades.

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1 Lancer over the Pacific Ocean, 30 Sep 2005. This Lacer is from the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). As of 2025, it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress. Its 75,000-pound (34,000 kg) payload is the heaviest of any U.S. bomber.

The B-1 was first envisioned in the 1960s as a bomber that would combine the Mach 2 speed of the B-58 Hustler with the range and payload of the B-52, ultimately replacing both. After a long series of studies, North American Rockwell (subsequently renamed Rockwell International, B-1 division later acquired by Boeing) won the design contest for what emerged as the B-1A. Prototypes of this version could fly Mach 2.2 at high altitude and long distances at Mach 0.85 at very low altitudes. The program was canceled in 1977 due to its high cost, the introduction of the AGM-86 cruise missile that flew the same basic speed and distance, and early work on the B-2 stealth bomber.

The program was restarted in 1981, largely as an interim measure due to delays in the B-2 stealth bomber program. The B-1A design was altered, reducing top speed to Mach 1.25 at high altitude, increasing low-altitude speed to Mach 0.96, extensively improving electronic components, and upgrading the airframe to carry more fuel and weapons. Dubbed the B-1B, deliveries of the new variant began in 1985; the plane formally entered service with Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a nuclear bomber the following year. By 1988, all 100 aircraft had been delivered.

With the disestablishment of SAC and its reassignment to the Air Combat Command in 1992, the B-1B's nuclear capabilities were disabled and it was outfitted for conventional bombing. It first served in combat during Operation Desert Fox in 1998 and again during the NATO action in Kosovo the following year. The B-1B has supported U.S. and NATO military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2021, the Air Force had 45 B-1Bs. The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is to begin replacing the B-1B after 2025; all B-1s are planned to be retired by 2036. (Wikipedia)

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1A Lancer (Serial No. 74-0158).

(Steve Lynes Photo)

Rockwell B-1B Lancer (Serial No. 86-0124), RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, 31 Aug 2017.

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1 Lancer, 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

(USAF Photo)

U.S. Air Force crew flies a B-1B Lancer to meet a KC-135 Stratotanker for fuel above Northern New Mexico, 21 April 2010. The Lancer is assigned to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, and the Stratotanker is from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas.

(USAF Photo)

B-1B Lancer taking off from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.

(USAF Photo)

B-1B Lancer.

(Adrian Pingstone Photo)

USAF B-1B Lancer (Serial No. 86-103) arrives at the 2008 Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, England.

(EmilZatopak Photo)

USAF B-1B Lancer in Brno, Czech Republic, 9 Sep 2007.

(USAF Photo)

A 28th Bomb Wing B-1B on the ramp in the early morning at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota.

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1 bomber aircraft displaying its anti-flash white underside, over Edwards AFB, California in 1982.

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1A in 1984.

(USAF Photo)

Rockwell B-1 Lancer.

(Richard Gonzales Photo)

Rockwell B-1 Lancer, 5 Oct 2024.

(USAF Photo)

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, flies behind a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, assigned to 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, during a Bomber Task Force mission over the Pacific Ocean, 25 June 2022.

(USAF Photo)

Four U.S. Air Force Rockwell B-1B Lancers from the 128th Bomb Squadron, 116th Bomb Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, in flight over Georgia on 19 April 2002.

(DARPA Photo)

A Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) launches from an Air Force B-1B Lancer during flight testing in August 2013. DARPA designed the free-flight transition test (FFTT) demonstration to verify the prototype's flight characteristics and assess subsystem and sensor performance. Designed to launch from both ships and planes such as the B-1 bomber, the test vehicle detected, engaged and hit an unmanned 260-foot Mobile Ship Target (MST) with an inert warhead.

(Romanian Air Force Photo)

Romanian F-16 escorts two B1B Lancers during a training mission for Bomber Task Force Europe, 29 May 2020.

Aircraft on display

B-1A

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

74-0160 – Wings Over the Rockies Museum atthe former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado.

(USAF Photo)

(Allen Jones Photo)
76-0174 – Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum near Ashland, Nebraska. This aircraft has conventional ejection seats and other features used on theB-1B variant.
B-1B

(USAF Photo)
83-0065 Star of Abilene – Dyess Linear Air Park at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.This was the first aircraft delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Dyess AFB is home to one of two active Air Force B-1B wings.

(Dirk Geerts Photo)

83-0066 Ole Puss – Heritage Park at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, with wheels in the wells.

(James St. John Photo)
83-0067 Texas Raider – South Dakota Air and Space Museum at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Ellsworth AFB is home to one of two active Air Force B-1B wings.

(Phil Cole Photo)
83-0068 Spuds – Reflections of Freedom Air Park at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas, a former Air Force and Air National Guard B-1B base.

(Dsdugan Photo)
83-0069 Silent Penetrator – Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia, a former Air National Guard B-1B base. This aircraft was the sixth B-1 produced. It was delivered to the 96th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas on 13 March 1986. This aircraft arrived at Robins AFB in September 2002. Robins AFB was previously home to one of two Air National Guard B-1B wings. Renamed Midnight Train From Georgia by April 2015.

(Jerry Gunner Photo)
83-0070 7 Wishes – Hill Aerospace Museum at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah.

(Glen Chatfield Photo)
83-0071 Spit Fire – near the main gate at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Thisaircraft was one of two that suffered an in-flight engine failure in 1990 thatled to grounding of the fleet.

(Ducatipierre Photo)
84-0051 Boss Hawg – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. It is displayed in the museum's Cold War Gallery and replaces the B-1A (Serial No. 76-0174) formerly on display.

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