B-1LANCER

THE DEVELOPMENT • THE OPERATIONS • THE UPGRADES

FROM NUCLEAR AFGHANISTAN

TO TACTICAL AND BEYOND

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES
B-1B Lanc
One of the most controversial
bomber programmes in
USAF history, the B-1B has
emerged as arguably the
most versatile member of Air
Combat Command’s manned
bomber triad. It has survived
a cancellation, and adapted its
role from Cold War-era nuclear
striker to one of the most effective
close air support platforms
in the ‘Global War on Terror’.
Thomas Newdick examines this
remarkable swing-wing bomber.
Above: Two years after its maiden flight, the first B-1B
achieved initial operational capability (IOC), and thus
stood armed and ready on nuclear alert at Dyess AFB,
Texas in October 1986. Since then, B-1s have proved
themselves in combat countless times, but only in a
conventional bombing role. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
Right: The first Rockwell International B-1A, serial
74-0158, is rolled out from USAF Plant 42 at Palm-
dale on October 26, 1974. A first flight had previ-
ously been planned for April 1974, but it eventually
took place on December 23. Glenn Sands collection
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Early development
I n March 1969, US Secretary of Defense
Melvin Laird announced plans to develop a
new strategic bomber to equip the ranks of
Strategic Air Command (SAC). Known as the
Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA),
the programme invited proposals from North
American Rockwell, Boeing and General
Dynamics. In June 1970, Rockwell was awarded
a development contract for the new aircraft,
which would receive the service designation
B-1. While Rockwell was prime contractor for
the airframe and systems, the augmented
turbofan engines were to be provided by
General Electric. An initial contract called for the
manufacture of seven prototypes. Of these, five
aircraft would be assigned to flight test, while
two would be used for static and fatigue testing.
The first of many changes to the programme
occurred in February 1971 when the
total number of B-1 flying prototypes was
reduced to three, plus one ground test
article. Nevertheless, SAC continued to
pin its hopes on the aircraft, which was
now expected to complete a first flight in
mid-1974. The command saw in the new
bomber a worthy successor to the ageing
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and confidently
predicted that the B-1 would entirely replace
the B-52 Stratofortress in service by 1980.
Reality would turn out to be very different.
Key features of the B-1 in its original guise
were the variable-geometry ‘swing’ wings,
without ailerons. Instead, lateral control
was achieved using spoilers and differential
operation of the horizontal stabilisers. Four
of General Electric’s F101 turbofans were
installed in widely spaced twin nacelles
beneath the long wing roots. Fully variable
inlets were fitted to suit the requirements of
take-off, subsonic flight at low altitude and
Mach 2 flight at 50,000ft (15,240m). The
primary mission avionics included an AN/
APQ-144 forward-looking radar plus an AN/
APQ-146 for terrain following. Key weapons
were to be the AGM-69A Short-Range Attack
Missile (SRAM) and the Boeing AGM-86A Air-
Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), which were
to be carried in three internal weapons bays.
The first B-1, serial 74-0158, was intended
to fly in April 1974 but only rolled out of US
Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on
October 26, that year. It took to the air for the
first time on December 23, 1974, recovering at
Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), California, after
its maiden flight. The third aircraft, configured
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ncer
‘The command saw in the new bomber a worthy successor to the ageing Boeing B-52
Stratofortress, and confidently predicted that the B-1 would entirely replace the
B-52 Stratofortress in service by 1980. Reality would turn out to be very different.’

as an avionics test-bed, flew on March 26,

1976, while the second, initially employed for
static structural tests, did not fly until June 14,
1976. In July 1976, a fourth flying prototype
was ordered, this being completed almost to
production standard. Before the end of that
year, the B-1 had successfully passed the
first phase of its flight test programme and
was recommended for production by the
Department of Defense. It was envisaged that
a first full production B-1 would fly in October
1977, paving the way towards initial operational
capability with SAC in 1979. At this time, it was
expected that the B-1 would enjoy a production
run of 240 aircraft by the mid-1980s.
The swing-wing bomber would soon run
into political trouble, however. Congressional
opposition focused its criticism on the price
tag, which had increased from a unit cost of
around $40 million in 1970 to a little over $70
million by 1975. The election of President
Jimmy Carter in 1976 spelled even greater
trouble for the project. In June 1977, the Carter
administration announced the cancellation of
the B-1 on cost grounds. Production would
cease after the completion of the fourth
prototype, which eventually flew on February
14, 1979. Funds would instead be invested

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in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs),

submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and
equipping the existing B-52 fleet with cruise
missiles. The B-1 had gone the way of another
promising B-52 successor, the Mach 3-capable
North American B-70 Valkyrie, axed by
President John F Kennedy in March 1961.
There remained, however, a faint glimmer
of hope for the B-1 and its supporters. In
a 1980 report, the Department of Defense
noted that testing of the B-1 would continue,
despite the cancellation of the programme, “so
that the technical base will be available in the
very unlikely event that, because alternative
strategic systems run into difficulty, we decide
to reconsider the B-1”. Key technological
elements that would be studied comprised
penetration effectiveness, defensive
electronics, resistance to electromagnetic
pulse, and engine design. The second
prototype achieved a speed of Mach 2.22 in
October 1978, the fastest attained by a B-1
and an impressive indication of the potential
capabilities of the cancelled bomber.

B-1B
In 1981, President Carter was succeeded by
President Ronald Reagan, whose hawkish
administration began a wholesale upgrade of
America’s defences. In February 1981, the USAF
made another bid to field a successor to the
B-52, reporting to Congress its desire to field a
multi-role Long-Range Combat Aircraft (LRCA).
Initial candidates for the LRCA were identified
as a stretched version of the General Dynamics
FB-111, an all-new aircraft, or a simplified, fixed-
wing development of the B-1. It was hoped the
chosen design would achieve initial operational
capability (IOC) with SAC around 1987.
In more detail, LRCA proposed that a
revamped, subsonic B-1 could declare IOC
around 56-60 months after project go-ahead,
and that a total of 180 aircraft could be
delivered by 1989. While the proposed
FB-111B/C version would be quicker to
develop, it was let down by its inferior load-
carrying and range capabilities compared to

Above: A prototype Rockwell’s B-1A, illustrates its ‘swing wing’ design mounted to a relatively slim blended
fuselage. Glenn Sands collection
Below: Serial 74-0158, the first of the B-1As, at Edwards AFB in April 1978. Although B-1 production had
been cancelled by this time, prototype testing continued until the first one went into storage in April of the
same year after 79 missions. All images USAF unless stated

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the B-1. By May 1981, it was clear that the
USAF required a genuine long-range strategic
platform, and thus the FB-111B/C was ruled
out. An all-new design would take too long to
reach maturity, and the B-1 suddenly found
itself back in favour. Rockwell’s latest proposal
was for a minimum-change adaptation
of the original B-1, tailored to carry cruise
missile armament, with top speed reduced
to Mach 1.25, increased maximum take-off
weight and simplified engine intakes.
On October 2, 1981, the Reagan
administration announced that an advanced
version of the B-1, to be designated B-1B,
would be procured as SAC’s next-generation
bomber. A total of 100 B-1Bs were ordered
for SAC service (at the same time, the original
B-1s were redesigned as B-1As). Unit cost of
the aircraft was given as just under $20 million
and these would be delivered beginning in
1985. As well as the ‘warmed-over’ B-1, SAC
could await an all-new Advanced Technology
Bomber (ATB), although this remained a
closely guarded secret. The ATB would
emerge years later as the Northrop B-2 Spirit.
This, too, received an official go-ahead in
1981. While the B-1B would populate SAC
wings into the late 1980s, demoting the
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B-52 to a ‘second-line’ strategic bomber,
it was envisaged that the ATB would do
the same to the B-1B from the mid-1990s.
Such was the optimism of the Reagan-era
military-industrial complex – in the event, of
course, only 20 B-2s were manufactured.
In January 1982, Rockwell was awarded
a full-scale development contract for the
B-1B and a contract for the production of the
first aircraft. Total programme cost, based
on production of 100 aircraft, was now put
at $20.5 billion, or $20.5 million each.
Compared to the four B-1As, the B-1B
retained the variable-geometry planform,
permitting a high-speed dash over the target,
combined with good take-off and landing
performance. However, while the B-1A
was rated at speeds in excess of Mach 2,
the B-1B would be rated at less than Mach
1. High-subsonic speeds were judged to
‘On October 2, 1981, the Reagan administration
announced that an advanced version of the B-1, to be
designated B-1B, would be procured as SAC’s next-
generation bomber.’
Above: Accompanied by a T-38 Talon chase
plane, serial 74-0160 was the third B-1A built, but
the second to fly. Its maiden flight took it from
Palmdale to Edwards AFB on April 1, 1976. Note
the photo-calibration marking on the intake.
Below: The three B-1As each featured a crew
escape capsule, seen here undergoing test. With
the crew members restrained in their seats, the
two rocket motors fired to launch the capsule.
Once free of the aircraft, fins and a spoiler
deployed, followed by a drogue ’chute and three
main ’chutes. Inflatable bags fitted to the exterior
structure cushion the landing.
Glenn Sands Collection
provide enough survivability when employed
in combination with a variety of measures
designed to reduce the aircraft’s radar
cross-section (RCS). As a result, while the
B-1A had an RCS signature that was around
one tenth of that of the B-52, the B-1B’s RCS
(in the best-case scenario, with a factory-
fresh aircraft) was around a tenth that of the
B-1A. This was achieved with no significant
reduction in the overall size of the bomber:
the fuselage of the B-1B would be 147ft (45m)
long compared to the B-1A’s 150ft (46m),
while wingspan remained unchanged.
As well as redesigned, simplified engine
intakes and the application of radar absorbent
material (RAM), the B-1B could call upon
an array of advanced defensive avionics
in order to ensure its survival in the face
of Soviet air defences. The avionics are
divided between the Offensive Avionics
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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES
System (OAS), providing navigation, stores
management and weapon delivery functions,
and the Defensive Avionics System (DAS) for
self-protection. Centrepiece of the OAS was
the Westinghouse AN/APQ-164 Offensive
Radar System (ORS), a multifunctional set-up
providing automatic terrain following, precise
navigation down to an altitude of 200ft (61m)
and accurate delivery of gravity bombs.
Bringing together a tail warning radar,
radio-frequency jamming system and
expendable countermeasures intended
to provide survivability against the most
advanced air defences, the AN/ALQ-161A
DAS proved to be the most troublesome
Above: The four B-1As initially wore an overall anti-flash white, before being repainted in the B-1B’s early grey/green scheme. In the interim, the third and fourth
B-1As received this three-tone desert camouflage, with white undersides. Glenn Sands collection
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element of the B-1B’s development.
While the B-1B did away with the earlier crew
escape capsule, in favour of conventional
ejection seats, it retained a crew of four.
These comprised the pilot and co-pilot
seated side-by-side in the front cockpit,
with the Defensive Systems Officer (port)
and Offensive Systems Officer (starboard)
seated behind and facing forward.
In terms of armament, the B-1B’s weapons-
carrying capability was considerably boosted
compared to that of the B-1A. While its
predecessor could carry a weapons load of
57.5 tons, the B-1B could carry 62.5 tons of
ordnance, thanks to a strengthened airframe.
Right: All B-1Bs were originally painted in the
so-called strategic camouflage, which often
appeared to be a single dark colour but was
actually a disruptive pattern of Federal Standard
(FS) 36081 dark grey and FS 34086 dark green
on the topsides and FS 36118 gunship grey and
FS 36081 dark grey on the undersides.
Key collection
Right below: Nose art features heavily across
the B-1 fleet, this B-1B 84-0055 carried the
name Surprise Surprise for a short time before
changing to Lethal Weapon. Key collection
Below: B-1A serial 74-0159 approaching the
refuelling boom of Boeing NKC-135A serial 55-
3127 during the B-1B flight-test programme, on
January 3, 1983. (USAF)
As a result of this, and other changes, the
overall weight of the B-1B was increased to
238.5 tons, while the B-1A tipped the scales at
197.5 tons. The B-1B inherited the three bomb
bays of the B-1A, but changes had to be made
to accommodate the new AGM-86B ALCM on
a rotary launcher – the B-1A had been tailored
to carrier the shorter-range AGM-86A version.
Each of the three bays could accommodate
a single Multi-Purpose Launcher (MPL), which
in its original guise could carry up to eight
free-fall nuclear weapons (such as the B61 or
B83), eight AGM-69A SRAMs, a Conventional
Weapon Module (CWM) for up to 28 bombs
or mines, or an additional fuel tank.
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 longer intermediate bay for carriage of the
CRM, before the concept of B-1B cruise
missile transporter was abandoned entirely.
From the start, the B-1B was planned
to have a secondary conventional strike
role, with a maximum load of up to 84
free-fall high-explosive bombs internally,
plus another 40 on external hardpoints. In
the event, it took months for clearance to
be achieved for the use of conventional
munitions. At the time of the 1991 Gulf
War, the B-1B was able to employ nuclear
weapons, but these were not used in the
campaign. The first test drops of conventional
weapons were yet to be completed.

Flight test
As part of the full-scale development contract,
two B-1As were earmarked for the B-1B
development effort and were appropriately
outfitted with new systems. Flight testing of
these modified aircraft – originally the second
and fourth B-1A prototypes – commenced in
summer 1983. The number two B-1A was
reworked with a B-1B flight control system to

B-1B specifications

The aft bay remained unchanged from that of

the B-1A. However, the two forward bays were
made modular, with a flexible bulkhead that
could provide three different configurations:
a single large bay, two identical bays, or a
longer intermediate bay to accommodate the
additional length of the AGM-86B, eight of
which could be carried on the Cruise Missile
Launcher (CRM). In the latter configuration, the
shorter forward bay housed an additional fuel Powerplant four 30,000lb (13,620kg) thrust General Electric F101-
tank. As well as the ALCM, the CRM was able GE-102 turbofan engines
to mount four examples of the more modern Performance
AGM-129A Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM). Maximum speed ‘clean’, test conditions Mach 1.2
In addition, six twin and two single fuselage Maximum speed ‘clean’, operational mission 652kt (1,207km/h) at 500ft (152m) or Mach 0.99
hardpoints allowed for the carriage of up to
Cruising speed Mach 0.85
14 stores up to a total weight of 59,000lb
(26,762kg). Under the SALT/START treaties, Service ceiling about 35,000ft (10,668m)
however, a limit of 12 externally carried nuclear Range 6,300nm (11,675km)
weapons was implemented, making the two Weights
single hardpoints redundant. Furthermore, Empty weight 192,000lb (87,090kg)
external weapons carriage would have severely
Gross ramp weight 485,000lb (223,418kg)
degraded the B-1B’s RCS-reduction measures
and were then outlawed entirely under the Gross take-off weight 477,000lb (216,368kg)
START II agreements. In the event, only two Maximum landing weight 360,000lb (163,300kg)
B-1Bs were ever equipped with the six twin Dimensions
fuselage hardpoints, and only one of these Wingspan 79ft (24.10m) fully swept, 137ft (41.80m) extended
flew with dummy weapons for test purposes.
Length 147ft (47.80m)
Neither the AGM-69A nor AGM-86B were
ever cleared for external carriage on the B-1B, Height 33ft 7.25in (10.24m)
leaving the AGM-129A as the only missile Wing area 1,960 sq ft (181.10m2)
available for mounting externally: including the Ordnance Up to 84 500lb (227kg) Mk 82 or 24 2,000lb (907kg)
four missiles secured internally, a maximum of Mk 84 conventional bombs; the entire family of USAF
16 ACMs could thus be hauled. The same two laser- and satellite-guided munitions; up to 24 AGM-158
aircraft with provision for fuselage hardpoints JASSM or JASSM-ER stand-off weapons; all ordnance to a
were also the only examples to receive the maximum of 125,000lb (56,250kg)

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test stability and control, especially at the new,

increased weights. The aircraft returned to the
air in March 1983. In August 1984, however,
this aircraft was lost in an accident while testing
minimum control speeds. One of the test
crew was killed and the two others seriously
injured. A month prior to this loss, the fourth
B-1A had returned to flight status equipped
with a significant proportion of the planned
B-1B avionics. Key test objectives for B-1A
number four concerned the DAS and OAS.
The first true B-1B (as opposed to a converted
B-1A) was 82-0001. Originally intended to
fly in March 1985, it made its maiden flight
on October 18, 1984, its passage into the
air being expedited through use of airframe
sections taken from the unbuilt fifth B-1A.
Production of the B-1B was undertaken at
Palmdale, but now made use of purpose-built
facilities, adjacent to Air Force Plant 42 that
had built the B-1A fleet. The first delivery to
the USAF was marked on July 7, 1985, and
involved the second production aircraft.
In the run-up to declaration of IOC, B-1B
serial 85-0007, named Polarized, was used for
operational test and evaluation out of Edwards
AFB. This included two polar navigation flights,
a deployment to Guam in the western Pacific,
electronic countermeasures missions, live
SRAM launches, and practice drops of dummy
nuclear and conventional gravity bombs.

The nuclear era

The first B-1B was deployed on June 29, 1985
by the 96th Bomb Wing (BW) at Dyess Air Force
Base near Abilene, Texas. In July 1986, the 96th
BW attained IOC and a first aircraft was pulling
alert duty by October 1. Initially receiving 29
aircraft, the 96th was a dual-role organisation, An early B-1B cavorts for the
assets being divided between an operational camera, illustrating both the
bomber’s inherent manoeuvrability
unit, the 337th Bomb Squadron (BS), that had
– a prerequisite of the low-level
been preceded by a training unit, the 4018th penetration role – and the three
Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS), which fuselage weapons bays. The
was activated on March 15, 1985. The 4018th photo was taken during an
proved short lived, however, and was inactivated acceptance flight in 1987.
on July 1, 1986, replaced by the 338th Strategic
Bombardment Training Squadron (SBTS).
The 338th SBTS again only lasted for a brief
period, becoming the 338th CCTS on January
1, 1987. The 96th also provided Detachment
1 of the 4201st Test and Evaluation Squadron
during the B-1B’s development period.
The second operational B-1B unit was the
28th BW at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota.
Deliveries were planned to start before the end
of 1986 and in the event, the first B-1B for the
unit arrived on January 21, 1987. At Ellsworth,
two squadrons were earmarked to receive 35
aircraft, including three reserves, although the
wing initially operated at a reduced strength
of 16 aircraft. The 28th BW’s first constituent
squadron was the 37th BS that was activated
on October 1, 1986. A second squadron, the
77th BS, was activated in February 1987.
Next in line to receive the new bomber was
the 319th BW at Grand Forks AFB, North
Dakota, which was expected to accept its
first B-1B in August 1987. The first delivery
was ultimately delayed until January 12,
1988, when the wing began the process
of building up to its strength of 17 aircraft,
including one reserve. The single constituent
squadron of the 319th was the 46th BS.
The final wing to convert to the B-1B was Above: A B-1B Lancer flies past the Mount Rushmore National Memorial near Keystone, South Dakota. Nearby
the 384th BW at McConnell AFB, Kansas, Ellsworth AFB was the second base to receive the B-1B, and in 2014 is still home to the 28th Bomb Wing. USAF

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 where deliveries were scheduled to begin
in April 1988. A former refuelling wing,
the 384th came into being on July 1, 1987
and in common with the 319th received
an initial complement of 17 aircraft.
A total of four B-1Bs were delivered
from Palmdale each month until
January 1988, when the 100-aircraft
production run was completed.
When the 96th BW at Dyess achieved IOC
on October 1, 1986, the B-1B was put on
strategic alert for the first time. Under US
procedure for nuclear war, implemented
under the Single Integrated Operational Plan
(SIOP), B-1Bs stood alert for up to 30 days,
ready to scramble should the call come.
As the Cold War reached its zenith during the
days of the Reagan administration, the B-1B
was still dogged by controversy. Together
with the Peacekeeper ICBM, the continued
introduction of the B-1B marked a period
of modernisation for SAC, as the command
continued its stand-off against the ‘evil empire’,
as Reagan termed the USSR and its allies. Above: Weapons systems officers carry out pre-flight checks in a B-1B at Al-Udeid AB, Qatar in November
However, concern was voiced over deficiencies 2009. The aircrew and aircraft were deployed from Ellsworth AFB as the 37th Expeditionary Bomb
in the B-1B’s Offensive Avionics System, and Squadron, supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. USAF
these threatened the bomber’s survivability on, and focused on increasing weight to allow the B-1B into service meant no two aircraft
at a time when the air defences of the Soviet additional fuel carriage, including appropriate had the exact same standard of DAS, and
Union were becoming increasingly capable. modifications to the flight control software. plans were soon drafted to overhaul the entire
While the B-1B’s entry to service with SAC Other early bugbears included limitations system to meet the original specifications.
appeared to pass relatively smoothly, once of the terrain-following radar and fuel leaks, While the B-1B’s much-publicised early
in service, critics began to turn on the costly but the media was quickest to pick up on the problems were gradually addressed, the
bomber, as a catalogue of shortcomings problematic DAS: a critical lynchpin of the bomber remained a source of embarrassment
started coming to light. Particularly B-1B’s mission into hostile airspace. While the for the USAF on account of its dismal mission
embarrassing for the top brass was the DAS proved generally able to deal with older capable rate (MCR). Between June 1987 and
deficiency in the B-1B’s range when operating Soviet-designed threats, it had much more June 1988, MCR fluctuated between 28.2 and
at low level. With a representative weapons trouble countering the new generation of air 45.9%. Among the causes of this were an
load and flying on a low-level, manoeuvring defence systems that were coming on line in unreliable supply of spares (leading in many
mission profile, it became apparent that the the latter half of the 1980s. The rush to get cases to cannibalisation to keep aircraft flying),
B-1B would struggle to strike targets at a
distance of around 700 miles (1,125km) and ‘As the Cold War reached its zenith during the days of
return – unrefuelled. Typical penetration
speed for such a mission was Mach 0.85.
the Reagan administration, the B-1B was still dogged
Measures to boost performance in the low- by controversy’
level penetration mission were taken early

US DoD shot of first production B-1B serial 82-

0001 outside hangar at the Rockwell International
facility, September 3, 1984.

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problems in the electrical systems and minor

failures relating to the crew escape system.
Despite the various setbacks, the combination
of the B-1B and the professionalism of its crews
meant that the new bomber was a force to
reckoned with in SAC’s Bombing Competition,
in which it was first entered in 1988. On their
debut, B-1Bs scored highest for radar-bombing
and SRAM launches, and were also placed
highly in the level-bombing competitions.

Air Combat Command

The end of the Cold War and thawing of tensions
between Washington and Moscow soon
made their mark on the B-1B fleet. On March
1, 1990, the B-1B had received the official
USAF name Lancer, but this has never been
adopted by crews, who prefer ‘B-1’ or ‘Bone’.
Another name change came on September
1, 1991 when all SAC B-1B wings were
redesignated from their official ‘Bombardment
Wing, Heavy’ to simply ‘Wing’. Similarly, all
‘Bombardment Squadrons, Heavy’ became
‘Bomb Squadrons’ – although in practice the
latter term had been widely (and unofficially)
applied prior to the change. At the same
time, the USAF reintroduced the combat
group, or Operations Group (OG), as a
formation between wing and squadron level.
On September 27, 1991, SAC B-1Bs stood
down from their nuclear alert duty. Overnight,
the B-1B was a warplane in search of a role.
Finally, SAC itself was disestablished on June
1, 1992 and its bomber assets passed on to a
new formation, Air Combat Command (ACC).
When the Lancer wings became part of
ACC on June 1, 1992, they began using the
Bomb Wing nomenclature. This pattern was
applied to the 28th Wing at Ellsworth (now
the 28th Bomb Wing/28th OG), the 96th
Wing at Dyess (96th Bomb Wing/96th OG)
the 319th Wing (319th BW/319th OG) and
the 384th Wing (384th BW/384th OG). Above: The first B-1B to be delivered to the US Air Force went to the 96th BW at Dyess AFB, Texas, in June
1985. The white ‘spider’s web’ markings on the nose provide the boom operator with a clear guide during
Stood up on October 1, 1993 as a new ‘Bone’
night refuelling. USAF
operator, the 7th Bomb Wing inherited the Below: A test B-1B from Edwards AFB drops an AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW). Only four JSOWs
facilities’, personnel and equipment of the can be carried on each Conventional Rotary Launcher (CRL), limiting capacity to 12 weapons.

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 former 96th BW that stood down on the same
date. On its establishment, the 7th BW took
over the 337th BS and the 338th CCTS from
the 96th, although the 338th was inactivated.
In its place was established the 9th BS,
assuming the identity of a B-52H squadron
that had deactivated in 1992. The place of the
337th BS, as the former ‘Bone’ training unit,
was taken by the 28th BS, formerly a B-1B
operator with the 384th Bomb Group (BG)
at McConnell AFB. To this day the 28th BS is
the only B-1B formal training unit (FTU). The
Dyess-based 7th BW was the last of the B-1B
wings to retain a SIOP assignment, a mission
it continued to perform into the mid-1990s.
The 319th BW transitioned to tanker
operations on October 1, 1993, retaining a
B-1B component in the form of the 319th
BG, prior to its aircraft being reassigned
to other units. As such, the unit was the
first Bomb Group within the USAF since
the era of the Korean War. The 319th BG
and its constituent 46th BS disbanded
on July 16, 1994, and its aircraft were
mainly transferred to the 34th BS/366th
Wing at Ellsworth. The 384th BW was also
reconfigured as the 384th BG on January 1,
1994, and its 384th OG was stood down.
As ACC set about adapting to the realities of
the new security environment after Operation
Desert Storm, it established a handful of
composite wings, of which the 366th Wing
was earmarked for the rapid-deployment
air intervention mission, and equipped with
squadrons flying the B-1B, F-16C, F-15E, F-15C
and KC-135R. Dubbed the ‘Mountain Home
Super Wing’, on account of most of its assets
being at the Idaho base, the 366th’s B-1Bs
nevertheless were stationed at Ellsworth,
where they were operated by the 34th BS.
The latter was activated on April 4, 1994,
having previously been a B-52G squadron
at Castle AFB, California. The squadron’s
attachment to the 366th was reflected in
the ‘MO’ tailcode for Mountain Home. The
‘composite wing’ concept lasted a decade
Above: A hark back to the B-1B’s former nuclear
role, this inert (for training purposes) AGM-69A
Short-Range Attack Missile (SRAM) is transported
under the aircraft in 1987.
Below: A contemporary B-1B weapons load is likely
to feature GPS-aided precision munitions, such
as this assortment of 500lb (227kg) and 2,000lb
(907kg) Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMS)
loaded in a B-1B at Dyess AFB in 2011.
before the tenure of the USAF’s only standing
air expeditionary wing came to an end when
B-1B and tanker assets were divested. After
returning from combat in Afghanistan, the
34th BS B-1Bs went to Ellsworth AFB in
June 2002 and the squadron transferred to
the same base in September of that year.
On July 1, 1994, another new era began
for the B-1B when it became operational
with the Air National Guard (ANG). A total of
ten aircraft were taken on by the 184th BG
of the Kansas ANG, a former F-16 Fighting
Falcon operator at McConnell AFB, Kansas.
The Guard unit was populated by aircraft
provided by the former active-duty 384th
BG, which was inactivated at the same base
on October 1, 1994. As the first of the Guard
‘Bone’ operators, the 184th also benefitted
from the facilities of the former 28th BS
that had previously served at McConnell.
On October 1, 1995, the 184th underwent
a change of title, becoming the 184th BW,
which incorporated the 184th OG. The
operating squadron within the 184th was the
127th BS, ‘Jayhawks’, a former fighter unit.
The Georgia ANG’s 116th Fighter Wing made
the switch to become a B-1B operator when

Ellsworth AFB is a hive of activity as B-1Bs are prepared for a mission in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya on March 27, 2011. The weapons are
2,000lb (907kg) GBU-31 JDAMs.

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES

B-1 Lancer Serial N

Accident Reports

Lot 1
82-0001
FY 1982
No. 1
Total: 1
Flight test, dismantled 1995
Name
Leader of the Fleet,
85-0067 No. 27 To AMARC 2003 Wild Thang, Miss
Behavin, Texas Raider,
On Defense
Star of Abilene
85-0068 No. 28 ACM test, time-to-height Spuds, Dragon’s Fury
Lot 2 FY 1983 Total: 7 Name
records 2003
83-0065 No. 2 Linear Air Park Star of Abilene, Star
85-0069 No. 29 Silent Penetrator,
of Palmdale
Daisy Mae, Home
83-0066 No. 3 South Dakota Air & Space Ole Puss Improvement
Museum
85-0070 No. 30 To AMARC 2002 Excalibur
83-0067 No. 4 Texas Raiders
85-0071 No. 31 To AMARC 2002 Liberated, Mr Bones
83-0068 No. 5 Preserved McConnell AFB Spuds, Predator
85-0072 No. 32 Special mission tests Polarized
83-0069 No. 6 Preserved Robins AFB Silent Penetrator,
Rebel, The Beast 85-0073 No. 33 Allied Force Wings of Freedom,
Cerberus, Dark Knight
83-0070 No. 7 CWM test aircraft, Hill Shack Master, 7
Aerospace Museum Wishes 85-0074 No. 34 Allied Force Penetrator, Crewdawg

83-0071 No. 8 Tinker AFB Grand Illusion, Spit Fire 85-0075 No. 35 Allied Force, OEF Banshee, Dakota
Demolition, Spirit of
Lot 3 FY 1984 Total: 10 Name ’76, Ghost Rider
84-0049 No. 9 ALCM/SRAM II test, wing Thunder from the Sky 85-0076 No. 36 Cold-weather tests, crashed Black Jack
pivot test 1988
84-0050 No. 10 Hot/cold climate lab, to Surf Rat, Surprise 85-0077 No. 37 Bones, Jap Happy,
AMARC 2002 Attack, Dawg B-One Hampton, Pride
84-0051 No. 11 USAF Museum Lucky Lady, Boss Hawg of South Dakota,
Overnight Delivery,
84-0052 No. 12 Crashed 1987 First Strike, Screamin’
Eagle
84-0053 No. 13 Ejection seat test, to AMARC Lucky 13
2003 85-0078 No. 38 Crashed 1997 Dakota Lightning,
Heavy Metal
84-0054 No. 14 To AMARC 2002 Silver Bullet,
Tasmanian Terror, 85-0079 No. 39 OEF Warriors Dream,
Aviators, Rage Classy Lady,
84-0055 No. 15 To AMARC 2002 Ridge Runner, Deadwood Dealer,
Sunrise Surprise, Master Of Disaster
Lethal Weapon 85-0080 No. 40 ECM tests Lady of the Nite,
84-0056 No. 16 To AMARC 2002 Sweet Sixteen The Gatekeeper,
Screamin’ Demon,
84-0057 No. 17 RCS/EM interference, crashed The Hellion Wichita Thunder
1998
85-0081 No. 41 Nose gear collapse 2004 Equalizer, Aftershock,
84-0058 No. 18 To AMARC 2002 Master of Disaster, Lancelot
Eternal Guardian
85-0082 No. 42 ALE-55 tests Gunsmoke, Global
Lot 4 FY 1985 Total: 34 Name Power, Let’s Roll!
85-0059 No. 19 Super Glider, Better 85-0083 No. 43 Allied Force Dark Star, Overnight
Duck, The Last Delivery
Laugh, Justice For All,
Star of Abilene II 85-0084 No. 44 Pandora’s Box, Brute
Force, Hard Rain
85-0060 No. 20 Night Hawk, Rolling
Thunder, Reach Out 85-0085 No. 45 OEF America No. 1, No
And Touch Someone, Antidote II
Dakota Posse
85-0086 No. 46 To AMARC 2002 My Mistress,
85-0061 No. 21 Maverick, French Soaring with Eagles,
Connection Intimidator
85-0062 No. 22 To AMARC 2002 Sky Dancer, Uncaged 85-0087 No. 47 Gremlin, Stars and
Stripes, Screamin for
85-0063 No. 23 Crashed 1998
Vengeance
85-0064 No. 24 Eliminator, Prairie
85-0088 No. 48 Phoenix, Loaded Dice
Thunder, Wichita
Intertribal Warrior 85-0089 No. 49 Midnight Prowler, The
Society Last Patrol
85-0065 No. 25 Trilogy of Terror, Texas 85-0090 No. 50 Trail Blazer, Tiger
Armor, Lil Chief Country, Hellcat
85-0066 No. 26 Repaired after 2005 landing Special Delivery, Mis 85-0091 No. 51 CWL carriage/release, first Thor, Freedoms
accident Behavin, Deadwood Block D conversion, Allied Vengeance
Express, Missouri Miss, Force, crashed 2013
Badlands Bomber, On
Defense, Prowler, Get 85-0092 No. 52 To AMARC 2012 Enforcer, The
Your Kicks Uninvited, Apocalypse

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l Numbers
Lot 5
86-0093
FY 1986
No. 53
Total: 48 Name
Ruthless Raven,
86-0120 No. 80 OEF, Iraqi Freedom Mad Dawg, Iron
Horse
Global Power 86-0121 No. 81 Bottom bailout tests, Iraqi Exterminator,
Freedom Terminator, Zeppelin,
86-0094 No. 54 Night Hawk
Maiden America,
86-0095 No. 55 OEF, Iraqi Freedom Mystique, Undecided, Symphony Of
Dakota Demolition Destruction

86-0096 No. 56 Desert Fox, to AMARC 2002 Thunder Child, Wolf 86-0122 No. 82 Excalibur, Ridge
Pack Runner, No Antidote
86-0097 No. 57 Allied Force Iron Eagle, Devil’s 86-0123 No. 83 Molester, Lester, High
Advocate, Guardian Noon, Low Level
Devil, Let’s Roll!
86-0098 No. 58 Used for speed records 1987 Freedom I, Midnight
Train From Georgia, 86-0124 No. 84 Penetrator, Winged
Midnight Train Thunder, Georgia
86-0099 No. 59 Live Mk 82 tests, OEF, Iraqi Ghost Rider, Iron Guardian
Freedom Eagle, Haulin’ Ass 86-0125 No. 85 Iraqi Freedom Shark Attack, Swift
86-0100 No. 60 Phantom, Night Justice
Hawk, Phoenix
86-0126 No. 86 The Gun Fighter,
86-0101 No. 61 Iron Butterfly, Minotaur, Command
Low Level Devil, Decision, Kansas
Rage, Heavy Metal, Lancer, Hungry Devil
Watchman
86-0127 No. 87 Freedom Bird,
86-0102 No. 62 Desert Fox Lady Hawk, Black Ivan’s Nightmare,
Hills Sentinel, Bad Nightmare, Kansas
Moon Rising Lancer, Macon
Whoopee, Plowin’
86-0103 No. 63 Huntress, Lovely Lady, Terrorism
Reluctant Dragon
86-0128 No. 88 Climatic testing, to AMARC The Hawk, Miss
86-0104 No. 64 Allied Force American Flyer, Live
2003 Behavin, Boss, Pony
Free Or Die
Soldier, Striking
86-0105 No. 65 Snake Eyes, The 8th Distance, Dakota Fury,
Chadwick Fury 1

86-0106 No. 66 Crashed 1992 Lone Wolf 86-0129 No. 89 JDAM tests Pegasus, Mad Max,
Black Widow
86-0107 No. 67 Vindicator, Valkyries,
Bade to the B-One, 86-0130 No. 90 The Rose, Bad
The Dragonslayer Company, Dead
Reckoning
86-0108 No. 68 Hawk, Alien with an
Attitude 86-0131 No. 91 To AMARC 2002 The 8th’s Wonder,
Ultimate Warrior
86-0109 No. 69 OEF Spectre
86-0110 No. 70 Speed/payload records 1987 Sunrise Surprise, 86-0132 No. 92 Damaged in wheels-up The Wizard, Oh
Stairway To Heaven, landing 2006 Hardluck, Memphis
Better Duck Belle, Old Crow
Express III
86-0111 No. 71 Time-to-height records 1987, Ace in the Hole,
OEF, Iraqi Freedom Dakota Thunder, Let’s 86-0133 No. 93 Damaged in in-flight fire over Bird, The Outlaw,
Roll Afghanistan 2007 Black Hills Bandit

86-0112 No. 72 Vanna, Black Widow 86-0134 No. 94 Green Hornet,

Night Mission, Wild
86-0113 No. 73 Towed decoy tests, OEF, Iraqi Charon, Viper, Dakota Ass Ride, Doolittle
Freedom Reveille, Deliverance, Raiders
Jagged Edge
86-0135 No. 95 Desert Fox, OEF Make My Day, The
86-0114 No. 74 OEF, crashed 2001 Wolfhound, Dakota Watchdog, Deadly
Drifter, Live Free Or Die Intentions
86-0115 No. 75 First to reach 5,000 combat Bump and Run, Top
86-0136 No. 96 Special Delivery
hours Secret, Kansas Tail
Wind, The Last Laugh 86-0137 No. 97 Wichita Express, Ace
86-0116 No. 76 Destroyed ground fire 2008 Victress in the Hole

86-0117 No. 77 Millennium Falcon, 86-0138 No. 98 Iraqi Freedom Easyrider Too, Grand
Pride of North Illusion II, Seek and
Dakota, Night Stalker Destroy

86-0118 No. 78 Iron Mistress, Dead 86-0139 No. 99 Gallant Warrior,

Mans Hands Dakota Queen

86-0119 No. 79 Spud, Christine, The 86-0140 No. 100 EMP compatibility testing Valda J, Peace
Punisher, Liberator Warrior, Last Lancer

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES

it exchanged its F-15C Eagles and moved to

Warner-Robins AFB, Georgia in 1996. The
constituent squadron of the 116th Bomb
Wing was the 128th BS (formerly 128th FS).
By the mid-1990s, B-1B fleet-wide MCR was
a still-poor 55%, and now the bomber felt
the wrath of Congress, which demanded an
Operational Readiness Assessment to prove
the aircraft’s potential in a range of scenarios.
Over a six-month period, an MCR of between
82.8 and 85.6% was achieved, and the B-1B
was safe – for the time being. Budgetary
constraints had an impact on the overall force
structure, however, and on March 31, 1995
the 77th BS was inactivated at Ellsworth AFB.

Right: The Sniper advanced targeting pod intro-

duces a new capability to generate co-ordinates
as well as guide precision weapons from extended
ranges. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
Below: While the nature of threats, and targets,
may have changed, the B-1B mission is still about
survival at low altitude. Here, B-1Bs from the 28th
Bomb Squadron at Dyess AFB release chaff and
flares while manoeuvring over New Mexico during
a training sortie in 2010. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

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 Going conventional
As we have discussed, the B-1B was always
intended to have a conventional munitions
capability, but it was only with the end of the Cold
War and the SIOP mission, and the consequent
deletion of its nuclear role, that efforts to move
into the conventional arena began in earnest.
Arguably, the fall of the Iron Curtain came
at an opportune moment for the B-1B, as
war-planners had begun to question just how
survivable the bomber was in a modern, high-
threat environment. Above all, the limitations
of the DAS meant the aircraft was judged to be
too vulnerable for strikes against multiple well-
defended targets (such as around a key Soviet
military installation). Instead, a Congressional
study recommended the B-1B for raids against
single, poorly defended targets. It was just
this type of mission that would soon become
a far more likely tasking for the post-Cold
War ‘Bone’. But the problem remained that
the B-1B possessed precious little in the
Above: The front cockpit is beautifully laid out, with all key systems falling to hand. Boeing modified the way of conventional weapons options.
B-1B ‘front office’ so a laptop computer could be connected to show a moving map display. When not in use As of 1995, the only non-nuclear store
the computers are stored underneath the instrument panel. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine that the B-1B had been cleared to carry

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES

was the ubiquitous 500lb (227kg) Mk82

general-purpose bomb, which had originally
been certified for the ‘Bone’ on July 17,
1991. A total of 84 could be carried, using
a CWM in each of the three bays. But with
the capacity to carry no less than 75,000lb
(34,020kg) of internal ordnance, the B-1B
offered unrivalled potential for development
as a conventional weapons platform.
The Lancer’s latent conventional strike
potential would be exploited under the
Conventional Munitions Upgrade Program
(CMUP). Beginning in Fiscal Year 1993, the
CMUP promised to provide a bomber that
would, in the words of ACC commander
Gen Richard E Hawley: “be ten times more
capable – as measured by the number
of targets that we can destroy – than the
bomber force that we started with”.
CMUP was integrated using a series of
successive Blocks, with the baseline B-1B
becoming the Block A. Block B referred to
aircraft that received an improved synthetic
aperture radar and modifications to the
defensive countermeasures systems. As of
1995, the fleet had standardised on Block Above: The right side of the rear cockpit is occupied
B, at which point efforts began in earnest to by the Offensive Systems Officer who is responsible
introduce a range of conventional weapons. for navigation and weapons delivery operations. Jim
Block C within CMUP involved the integration ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
of cluster munitions, including the CBU-87 Right: Wearing the markings of the 34th Bomb
Combined Effects Munition (CEM), the CBU-89 Squadron, 85-0084 Hard Rain moves out of position
Gator area denial munition and the CBU-97 after receiving fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker
during a mission over Afghanistan in 2008.
Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW). Engineering,
Left: Individual names and artwork have long been
Manufacturing and Development (EMD) associated with the B-1B. Serial 86-0121, most re-
was approved in November 1992 and the cently named Symphony of Destruction, is a veteran
first Block C conversion began in October of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
1996. After Operational Test and Evaluation Below: The Lancer’s move into the conventional strike
(OTE) between January and March 1997, role began when it was cleared to use the ubiquitous
IOC for Block C was declared in September 500lb (227kg) Mk82 free-fall bomb. Inert Mk 82s
are dropped after a series of record-breaking flights
1997. Utilising all three weapons bays, the
out of Edwards AFB in October 2003.
B-1B could now carry a total of 30 cluster

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 munitions, through the use of conventional
bomb modules that were modified from the ‘Instead, a Congressional study recommended the B-1B
previous ‘28-carry’ configuration to ‘ten-carry’. for raids against single, poorly defended targets. It was
On May 28, 1997, an initial CBU-97/B SFW
was dropped from a B-1B against a mock just this type of mission that would soon become a far
armoured formation at Eglin AFB, Florida.
The next phase of the CMUP was concerned
more likely tasking for the post-Cold War ‘Bone’. But the
with adding a ‘near-precision’ strike capability problem remained that the B-1B possessed precious
to the bomber. Block D development began
in 1995 and was based around the Joint
little in the way of conventional weapons options.’
Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), initially
fielded in the form of the 2,000lb (907kg)
GBU-31. Using the Conventional Rotary
Launcher (CRL), the Block D B-1B could
carry eight GBU-31 JDAMs in each bay, for
a total of 24. The initial tests in early 1998
saw a B-1B drop JDAMs in both inertial and
GPS-guided modes, and operational Block D
aircraft were returned to service at Ellsworth
beginning in November of the same year.

Into battle
The combat debut for the B-1B came with
Operation Desert Fox in December 1998. This
saw the US and UK launch limited air strikes
into Iraq in a bid to forcibly convince the Iraqi
leadership to continue co-operation with a
United Nations weapons inspection team. At
this stage, the Lancer had begun to field the
Block D ‘near-precision’ strike upgrade, but IOC
was not declared until December 1998, just too
late for Desert Fox. Flying from Oman, a force
of six Block C B-1Bs was gathered in the Middle Above: The pilots’ windscreens are exceptionally large but sharply raked to ensure they meet birdstrike
East, the bombers being drawn from both specifications. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES

B-1Bs from the 337th Test and Evaluation

Squadron (TES) top up from a Stratotanker during
a mission over the Gulf of Mexico near Eglin AFB,
Florida, in 2012. A geographically separated
unit of the 53rd Wing, which is headquartered at
Eglin, the 337th TES is responsible for operational
testing of all B-1B defensive and offensive systems
and weapons upgrades. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

Ellsworth and Dyess. The first combat mission

was flown on December 17, when two aircraft
struck Iraqi targets with Mk82s from an altitude
of 20,000ft (6,100m). The aircraft involved
were 86-0096 Wolf Pack from the 37th BS and
86-0135 Watchdog from the 9th BS. The targets
were part of the Al Kut complex of barracks
located in the northwest of the country. Another
two strikes were launched the following day.
In total, Desert Fox saw the deployed B-1B force
conduct six missions, in the process dropping
126,000lb (57,154kg) of Mk82 bombs. The
missions each lasted in excess of six hours and
were flown at night, in the face of concerted
activity by Iraqi anti-aircraft artillery (AAA).
Above: Eight of these GPS-guided AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) can be carried
on the B-1B’s CRL, located in bomb bay. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
Allied Force Below: The B-1B has one radar, with a single antenna, which incorporates attack and terrain-following
The first real indication of the B-1B’s prowess instructions. It can operate in any of 11 modes, and is optimised for use in single or partial sweeps to mini-
in the conventional role was demonstrated mise both emissions and the risk of detection. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
during Operation Allied Force in 1999. This
campaign was the result of an escalating
humanitarian crisis in the former Yugoslavia,
and took the form of a NATO-led series of air
strikes aimed at Serbian forces, in particular to
put an end to the ethnic cleansing perpetrated
by the Serbs. B-1Bs of the 37th BS and 77th
BS were deployed to RAF Fairford, England,
from where they launched over 100 combat
sorties and delivered over 5,000 Mk82
bombs. The Allied Force aircraft had all
undergone the Block D modification that
added improved communications, enhanced
self-defence equipment (including the AN/
ALE-50 towed decoy) and compatibility
with the GBU-31 JDAM. At this early stage,
however, the limited numbers of JDAMs
available meant that B-1Bs only used the Mk82
‘dumb bomb’ over the former Yugoslavia.
Allied Force began on March 24, 1999, and
the first B-1B raids were staged from RAF

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 B-1 Lancer Current operators
Air Combat Command (ACC) — Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
Wing/Group Squadron Location Aircraft Tail
code
USAF Warfare Center (USAFWC) — Nellis AFB, Nevada
53rd Wing Eglin AFB, Florida
53rd TEG Nellis AFB, Nevada
31st TES* Edwards AFB, California B-1B, B-2A, B-52H, F-22A, RQ-4B, F-35A ED/OT
337th TES* Dyess AFB, Texas B-1B DY
USAFWS Nellis AFB, Nevada
77th WPS Dyess AFB, Texas B-1B WA
Note: * Utilises aircraft borrowed from host wing.

Twelfth Air Force/Air Forces Southern (12AF/AFSOUTH) — Davis-

Monthan AFB, Arizona
Wing/Group Squadron Location Aircraft Tail code
7th BW Dyess AFB, Texas DY
7th OG 9th BS Dyess AFB, Texas B-1B
28th BS (FTU) Dyess AFB, Texas B-1B
28th BW Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota EL
28th OG 34th BS Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota B-1B
37th BS Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota B-1B
Abbreviations: AFB: Air Force Base, ACC: Air Combat Command, BS: Bomb Squadron, BW: Bomb
Wing, FTU: Formal Training Unit, OG: Operations Group, TEG: Test and Evaluation Group, TES: Test
and Evaluation Squadron, USAFWC: USAF Weapons Center, USAFWS: USAF Weapons School, WPS:
Weapons Squadron

Left: Lockheed Martin’s AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR targeting pod was introduced on the B-1B in 2007. The pod’s wedge-shaped nose is made of sapphire which is transparent
to visible and infrared wavelengths and presents extreme durability to impact damage. At supersonic speeds, an oblique shock wave forms around the pod, reducing
airflow disturbance to the B-1’s starboard inlets. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine Middle: Groundcrew attach a pylon, for the Sniper pod, to the underside of a B-1B at Dyess AFB, Texas.
The addition of the Sniper pod has allowed the B-1B fleet to take on the CAS role. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine Right: Strips of protective Teflon are attached to the wing areas that
rub against the blended fuselage fairings as the wings are swept back. Groundcrew are pictured inspecting this area for any signs of damage. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

Fairford on April 1. The first targets comprised
Serbian army staging areas in Kosovo. While
Desert Fox had involved aircraft from Ellsworth
and Dyess, Allied Force was an exclusively
Ellsworth affair, all the aircraft coming from
the 28th BW’s 37th BS and 77th BS.
A crash programme was introduced
on seven Block D aircraft in the run-up
to the campaign, adding new electronic
countermeasures that were intended to
defeat specific Yugoslavian air defence
systems. The modification was accomplished
at Eglin in a period of less than 100 hours
and reportedly worked well in theatre.
In the course of Allied Force, the deployed
B-1Bs completed over 100 sorties, racking
up over 700 flight hours. The missions all
involved a weapons load-out of 84 Mk82s and
some cluster bombs, although none of the
latter were dropped. The Lancers achieved
an MCR of 91%, in the course of missions that
struck airfields, ammunition and petroleum
facilities, armour, vehicle convoys and troop
staging areas over a period of 72 days. A
typical mission involved a two-ship of B-1Bs
(although, on occasion, the B-1Bs operated
in groups of four), in-flight refuelling and
strikes launched against multiple targets.
Once again, all missions were flown at night.
Fleet drawdown
At the turn of the century, a total of 93 B-1Bs
remained in USAF service, of which around
80 were designated combat-ready. As
well as the three active-duty bomb wings
(Dyess, Ellsworth and Mountain Home), and
two Guard units (McConnell and Warner-
Robins), examples of the ‘Bone’ were to be
found with the Air Force Flight Test Center’s
412th Training Wing at Edwards AFB.
The two Guard B-1B wings, the 116th and
184th BW, both fell victim to a 2002 USAF
decision to reduce the B-1B fleet from 92 to
64 aircraft as a cost-saving measure. Aircraft
from both wings began to be flown to Davis-
Monthan AFB, Arizona in August 2002, a
proportion being put into active storage, and
the wings were inactivated in the autumn of
that year. While the Kansas unit re-emerged
as the 116th Air Control Wing operating the E-3
Sentry, the 184th became a refuelling outfit.
Precision strike
A ‘true’ precision strike capability was
introduced through the Block E portion of CMUP.
Focusing on a raft of computer upgrades, Block
E introduced the 1,000lb (454kg) AGM-154 Joint
Standoff Weapon (JSOW) and AGM-158A Joint
Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). Other
components of Block E included the capability

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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES
The bottom rudder section is linked to small foreplanes on each side of the nose. Accelerometers near
the centre of gravity and close to the nose sense lateral and vertical accelerations and send signals to the
vanes and lower rudder to counter them. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
to carry different types of weapon on the same
sortie (permitting a different store in each bay),
and a more accurate cluster munition in the
form of the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser
(WCMD). The ‘Wick-Mid’ series was designated
CBU-103, CBU-104 and CBU-105, these
corresponding to the earlier CBU-87, CBU-89
and CBU-97. Compared to their predecessors,
the WCMDs used GPS and a two-stage dispense
mode to improve accuracy and lethality. EMD
approval for Block E was issued in January 1995.
While the nuclear mission may have long
gone, the B-1B remains a vital long-range strike
asset for ACC. Crews therefore still train for
this mission, for which a total of 24 JASSMs
can be carried. The B-1B test team completed
the first JASSM test drop in March 2004.
Before it was cancelled by the USAF, the last
in the CMUP line was to have been Block F, a
defensive systems upgrade that would have
provided a comprehensive overhaul of the ALQ-
161, including a new radar warning receiver,
AN/ALE-55 fibre-optic towed decoy and radio
frequency countermeasures sub-system.
Block G is thus the latest Block upgrade plan
for the B-1B and primarily concerns cockpit
avionics. Block G introduces Global Air Traffic
Management (GATM) system compatibility,
improved GPS navigation, cockpit display
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upgrades, UHF satellite communication
data links and, most significantly, the
Link 16 NATO-standard data link.
‘War on Terror’
Despite the success of the B-1B in combat during
Desert Fox and, in particular, over Yugoslavia,
the bomber once again began to face criticism,
and calls for its retirement based on its cost
and continued reliability concerns. Successive
conflicts fought in Afghanistan and Iraq in the
wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US
have done much to rehabilitate the sometimes-
unloved bomber. Gen William M Fraser III, chief
of ACC, concluded: “Legacy bombers have
become multi-role strike platforms with deadly
precision. They carry versatile weapon loads
in orbits over critical ground engagements and
allow a level of precision never before achieved.
Who would have known that a B-1B crew would
be flying a close air support mission? This is a
great example of how air power has changed.”
Fraser went on to describe a mission that had
become typical for the B-1B in Afghanistan:
“The crew received a tasking from the
Combined Air Operations Centre to respond
to ‘troops in contact’. A ‘Humvee’ was taking
fire from a ridge line in northeast Afghanistan,
and no qualified joint terminal attack controller
was present to clear the B-1B crew to release
weapons – he was 15 minutes away. The
soldiers under fire gave the co-ordinates,
bearing and range for the enemy shooter. The
B-1B crew found the target with synthetic
aperture radar. The crew released two JDAMs.
The first JDAM destroyed the threat.”
The US has maintained a continuous B-1B
presence in the US Central Command
(CENTCOM) area of responsibility since 2001.
This has seen B-1B deployments rotate in and
out of Al-Udeid Air Base (AB) in Qatar, where
the deployed bombers belong to the 379th
Air Expeditionary Wing. Deployments to what
the Department of Defense euphemistically
describes as ‘Southwest Asia’ reached a
peak in summer 2012, when Al-Udeid hosted
nine 7th BW B-1Bs together with more than
400 airmen for a six-month tour of duty.
The B-1B’s contribution to Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF) began in autumn
2001, as part of a joint US and coalition
air campaign directed against al-Qaeda
and Taliban militants in the mountains of
Afghanistan. Operating from Al-Udeid AB,
aircraft arrived from Ellsworth in October 2001.
Missions were launched on October 7, and
were initially focused on infrastructure targets
and Taliban strongholds. As the fighting
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02/10/2014 15:29
 The Integrated Battle Station (IBS) upgrade introduced
four multi-functional colour displays that provide the
pilots with more situational awareness data, in a far
more user-friendly format. The entire B-1B fleet will
undergo the IBS improvements, which are scheduled
to be completed by 2019. USAF
Above: The stencilled ‘Batman’ symbol is an unof-
ficial addition worn by the B-1s of the 9th Bomb
Squadron at Dyess AFB, Texas. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
Below: The large wing/body fairings are almost
entirely constructed from glass-fibre and give a
smooth junction between body and wing. During
sweep movements the wings move at only 1˚ per
second. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
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in Afghanistan developed into a counter-
insurgency campaign, the ‘Bone’ found itself
increasingly called upon to support ground
forces. “As the sorties changed over to close
air support (CAS), we found ourselves working
closely with special operations forces and
Marines,” Lt Col Barry ‘Marbles’ Hutchison,
then a captain with the 34th BS at Mountain
Home, recounted to Air Forces Monthly. “Those
guys loved us because we could go all over
the country without immediately refuelling.
As we morphed from pre-planned strikes
to CAS scenarios, our value went up.”
Afghanistan provided a first chance for
the B-1B to employ the precision weapons
introduced under CMUP. After the initial
phase had targeted fixed and area targets with
unguided munitions, the GBU-31 became
the weapon of choice for the CAS scenario.
B-1Bs loaded with 24 JDAMs loitered over the
battlefield, waiting for the call to action from
joint terminal attack controllers on the ground.
While the B-1B went into combat over
Afghanistan with only the GBU-31 available
as a precision-attack option, it subsequently
introduced the smaller, 500lb (227kg) GBU-38
JDAM and the WCMD. A further boost to the
bomber’s CAS capabilities came with the
introduction of the AN/AAQ-33 Sniper XR
targeting pod in 2007. For the first time, the
Sniper provided the B-1B with an electro-
optical capability, enabling the aircraft to
help identify targets on the ground as well
as prosecute them. The Sniper represents
a huge advance over the radar previously
employed, adding a full-motion capability
to identify individuals and moving vehicles.
The targeting pod means that the B-1B can
now self-designate; that is, derive target
co-ordinates and program them in to its own
GPS-guided weapons. Furthermore, using
a downlink, the Sniper allows commanders
on the ground to see, in real-time, exactly
what the B-1B crew are observing, further
improving co-operation with the troops below.
A typical B-1B mission flown over Afghanistan
sees the aircraft launch with two to three
taskings assigned, for example a convoy
or high-value individual that requires
protection. Once in the air, the ‘Bone’ tops up
with fuel from a tanker. The next few hours
may be spent conducting the previously
assigned taskings, but frequently the crew
will receive new, high-priority missions that
are executed instead. These could involve
a CAS mission to support troops in contact
on the ground, searching for targets using
the Sniper pod, or loitering and remaining
on-call for potential use. The B-1B can
remain on station for up to three hours
before requiring a tanker hook-up; a typical
OEF mission might last ten to 15 hours.
In March 2003, B-1Bs were back in action over
Iraq for the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
As in Desert Fox, the ‘Bone’ was assigned
missions against targets deep inside Iraq.
In one notable mission flown on April 7, a
B-1B of the 28th BW hit a target in Baghdad
in the hope of killing Saddam Hussein and
his two sons. Updated targeting information
was received in flight, and target co-ordinates
programmed into four GBU-31 JDAMs.
The B-1B put its bombs on target just 47
minutes after the information was received by
CENTCOM headquarters in Qatar. The mission
failed to kill the Iraqi leader, but demonstrated
the B-1B’s increasing flexibility and a valuable
capability to attack time-sensitive targets.
Between March 20 and May 1, B-1s dropped
40% of all air-launched weapons in Iraqi
Freedom, despite flying only 5% of the sorties.
The statistics from Enduring Freedom are
similar: by March 2010 the B-1B had flown
more than 6,900 missions in theatre and
logged 70,000 combat hours. The B-1B again
accounted for around 40% of all munitions
while flying only 5% of total sorties. And
while the expense of operating the B-1B has
always provided ammunition for its critics,
in Iraq and Afghanistan the full dollar-value
of a ‘Bone’ mission, including support costs,
is equivalent to US$57,000 per flying hour.
This compares to US$44,000 for the F-15E
Strike Eagle – which brings a significantly
reduced time-on-station and war load.
Libya
Beginning in March 2011, Operation Odyssey
Dawn was an effort to degrade Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi’s ability to strike against
anti-government forces and civilians in the
country. Supported by United Nations Security
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 B-1 LANCER DEVELOPMENT • OPERATIONS • UPGRADES

On any regular day at Dyess AFB, ten to 15

B-1Bs can be on the main ramp supporting
training flights and practice missions. Over the
last decade a contingent (group) of bombers has
always been forward deployed to the Middle East
and other potential areas of interest for the United
States. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

Council Resolution 1973, Odyssey Dawn began

with a no-fly zone over Libya, followed by strikes
against regime targets on the ground. As well
as Tomahawk naval cruise missiles, B-1Bs from
the 28th BW at Ellsworth AFB were involved.
The Ellsworth team had less than two days to
put together a strike package, and on March
27, four B-1Bs took off from an icy Ellsworth
to strike targets deep inside Libya. It was
the first time that B-1s had launched from
the US to attack targets overseas. The flight
to North Africa took around ten hours and
involved multiple aerial refuellings. The 28th
BW claimed an accuracy rate of 98% for the
weapons dropped during the first mission,
after which the bombers recovered to Al Udeid
AB in Qatar. The Lancers then left the forward
operating base, striking more Libyan regime
targets before heading back to South Dakota.
While four aircraft were involved, only the
two lead bombers (85-0060 and 86-0095)
released ordnance, targets apparently
including ammunition bunkers near Sebha in
southern Libya. “Our objective was to destroy
nearly 100 military targets to protect the
civilian population of Libya,” explained Col Jeff
Taliaferro, 28th BW commander. The B-1Bs
returned to Ellsworth on March 30, 2011.
On February 27, 2012, the B-1B fleet
completed its 10,000th combat mission,
over Afghanistan. Lt Col Alejandro Gomez
was commander for the milestone mission,
and summed up the aircraft as follows:
“The B-1 brings tremendous flexibility to
our nation’s defence. In any mission, the
Above: The B-1B is powered by four afterburning General Electric F101-GE-102s installed in twin-engine pack-
ages under the wingroots, spaced far enough apart to accommodate the main landing. Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine
B-1 has the ability to loiter, dash, positively
identify targets, show force, and strike targets
precisely. Whatever our aircrews are asked
to do, they can perform with this aircraft.
Despite the B-1B achieving the status of
‘close air support weapon of choice’ for troops
fighting on the ground in Afghanistan, in recent
years the knives have been out again for the
bomber. In 2007, there were renewed calls
from the USAF generals to retire the B-1B.
Faced with continuing budget reductions
in the coming years, the USAF has been
mulling the retirement of several airframes,
including the A-10C Thunderbolt II, B-1B
and KC-10A Extender. Until now, the B-1B
has survived, and instead the axe looks set
to fall on the A-10 fleet – ironically, the other
star performer in the Afghan CAS arena.
The crash of a 28th BW B-1B in August
2013, marked the first ‘Bone’ loss in a dozen
years and reduced the front-line fleet to 62
aircraft. At the same time, MCR for the type
stood at 57.9%, continuing to be the B-1B’s
Achilles’ heel. In comparison, the veteran
B-52H recorded an MCR tally of 75.3%.
Meanwhile, the ‘Bone’ continues to add
strings to its bow. CMUP has now run its
course, but the tempo of improvements for
the B-1B has not diminished. Operational
testing of the continuing upgrades and
modifications is the responsibility of the
337th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES).
Although answering to the 53rd Wing at Eglin
AFB, the 337th is based at Dyess and employs
aircraft borrowed from the resident 7th BW.
The 337th TES was responsible for bringing
the Sniper targeting pod online with the
B-1B fleet, and other projects have included
integration of the 500lb (227kg) GBU-54
Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM)
and enhancements to the AGM-158 JASSM.
The GBU-54 was the result of an Urgent

A Dyess-based B-1B from the 28th Bomb

Squadron, the bomber’s Formal Training Unit. This
view shows off the elegantly blended fuselage.
Jim ‘Hazy’ Haseltine

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Operational Need (UON) identified by combat
commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan and is
intended for use against fast-moving targets
such as trucks and other small vehicles.
Equipped with a laser seeker, the GBU-54
combines GPS and laser guidance in order
to prosecute stationary or moving targets
with great accuracy. A first GBU-54 LJDAM
release from a B-1B occurred in August 2008
against a stationary target. In November
2010, a single B-1B operated by the 337th TES
dropped GBU-54 LJDAMs on three separate
targets over the China Lake Test and Training
Range in California. The mission proved the
B-1B’s ability to employ the weapon against
moving targets. Initially, a total of 15 GBU-54
LJDAMs could be carried in the B-1B’s three
bomb bays, with six each in the front and
centre bays, and three more in the aft bay.
Today, up to 48 bombs can be carried, using
redesigned bomb racks optimised for the
GBU-54 as well as the earlier GBU-38.
In the case of the JASSM, the B-1B can now
carry the AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface
Stand-off Missile – Extended Range
(JASSM-ER) version, capable of hitting
targets at distance of more than 500nm
(926km). JASSM ensures the B-1B’s
continuing relevance in ‘near-peer’ warfare
scenarios, providing the genuine stand-off
range required to avoid the attentions of
advanced surface-to-air missile systems.
In November, 2011 the 337th TES
demonstrated the B-1’s ability to engage
moving maritime surface targets using the
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02-24_B1Lancer_Supplement-lh.indd 23
Sniper pod. During the mission, the B-1
successfully dropped two GBU-54 Laser
JDAMs, six GBU-38 JDAMs, two GBU-31
JDAMs, and a single unguided Mk84 bomb
on separate moving targets over the Gulf of
Mexico, destroying each of the targets.
Another key project for the 337th TES has been
the Reliability and Maintainability Improvement
Program (RMIP), which aims to enhance radar
performance and efficiency. Above all, RMIP
eases the burden on maintainers, bringing
with it a new radar transmitter/receiver, radar
processor computer, as well as new software.
Following hot on the heels of RMIP is
the Integrated Battle Station (IBS), a
modification undertaken by Boeing at
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. IBS replaces the
old ‘steam-gauge’ dials with new displays
that allow data to be called up at any crew
station. The modification includes the Vertical
Situational Display Upgrade (VSDU) that
provides colour displays. Other changes
include a digital map. A first airframe began
IBS upgrade at Tinker in November 2012.
Another recent advance is the ongoing Fully
Integrated Data Link (FIDL) upgrade. Previously,
B-1B back-seaters made use of off-the-shelf
laptop computers to communicate with their
own Sniper XR targeting pods. FIDL does
away with this anachronism, and provides
five cockpit displays for the back-seaters
as well as beyond line-of-sight Link 16
data link capability. A FIDL-equipped B-1B
completed initial testing at Edwards in 2009.
With an average 10,000 flight hours
Back to Iraq
As these words are written, the B-1B finds
itself in combat once more, and again
over Iraq. On September 7, CENTCOM
announced that ‘USAF heavy bombers’
had been involved in efforts to defeat
Islamic State militants in a series of air
strikes around the Al-Hadithah dam. In
the course of four raids, the bombers
destroyed five IS ‘Humvees’, one
armed vehicle, a checkpoint, and also
damaged a bunker. Supported by the
USAF attacks, the dam remained under
the control of Iraqi security forces.
The Al-Hadithah mission was apparently
the second flown in theatre by B-1Bs. On
August 8, 2014 the USAF announced that
the 9th BS was beginning a deployment to
Al-Udeid AB in Qatar as part of a routine
rotation to the region. On August 18,
the bombers were in action in support
of Kurdish and Iraqi special forces as
they recaptured the Mosul dam.
The latest round of missions flown against
IS has also seen a new theatre added to
the B-1B's combat record, the bomber
being involved in strikes launched against
militants in Syria. Washington's intervention
in Syria, which began on September 22, has
included attacks against IS targets including
training compounds, headquarters,
command and control (C2) facilities and
storage facilities. US aircraft and cruise
missiles were also directed against the
al-Qaeda-affiliated Khorasan Group in
Syria, hitting an explosives and munitions
production facility, a communication
building, training camps and C2 facilities.
Although it is presently unclear which
targets were assigned to the B-1B, amateur
video footage has emerged of the bomber
flying over Mayadin, in eastern Syria,
where coalition forces are known to have
struck IS-controlled oil installations.
accumulated by any given B-1B, and with this
figure expected to increase to 20,000 hours
by 2019, it’s high time that attention was paid
to the bomber’s structural integrity. Here,
Boeing has undertaken fatigue testing, and
Dyess and Ellsworth are repairing wing lower
skins. Appropriately cared for, the B-1B may
yet continue to evade calls for its retirement
and serve on until finally replaced by an
afm
all-new bomber some time after 2025.
Below: A 7th Bomb Wing B-1B blasts off from
Nellis AFB, Nevada, during a Green Flag mission
in April 2014. USAF
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B-1LANCER
THE DEVELOPMENT • THE OPERATIONS • THE UPGRADES

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