The Rockwell B-1 Lancer emerged from decades of debate over how a strategic bomber could survive increasingly sophisticated air defenses. The result was a large variable-sweep-wing aircraft capable of carrying heavy conventional or nuclear payloads at high subsonic speed near the ground.
The B-1A
Development began in the 1960s as the Air Force sought a successor to the B-52. The original B-1A emphasized high-altitude supersonic performance as well as fast low-level penetration. Four prototypes were built before the program was cancelled in 1977.
Testing continued, and the bomber requirement was revived under a substantially revised configuration. The resulting B-1B traded some of the B-1A's maximum speed for reduced radar signature, improved avionics and an airframe optimized for low-altitude penetration.
The B-1B in Service
The first operational B-1Bs entered service in the 1980s. After the Cold War, the aircraft's mission shifted increasingly toward conventional warfare. Large internal weapons bays and long range allowed B-1 crews to deliver substantial quantities of precision-guided weapons during operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The nickname “Bone” comes from the spoken form of “B-One.” Although conceived for Cold War nuclear deterrence, the B-1's long operational career has been shaped heavily by its later conventional strike role.
Share: