The Rockwell B-1 is a supersonic variable-sweep wing heavy bomber serving in the fleet of the United States Air Force along with its subsonic stablemates, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and the massive B-52 Stratofortress . Officially named “Lancer”, but affectionately known as BONE from the spelling of its B-1 designation (“B-one”), the bomber was first developed as the B-1A, a highly supersonic (capable of over Mach 2) nuclear-delivery bomber, but it only entered service in a modified slower (but still supersonic) version, the B-1B, in the final years of the Cold War. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the B-1B fleet underwent a refit to improve its conventional capabilities, until the limitations of the New START arms-control treaty with Russia completely removed the bomber’s ability to deliver nuclear weapons, relegating it to a conventional strike role, a position in which it excelled thanks to its 75,000-pound (34,000 kg) payload, the heaviest among the current U.S. bombers. In this newfound capacity, in which the BONE is still serving, the bomber participated in numerous operation worldwide, starting with the 1998 strikes over Iraq, up to recent February 2024 attacks against Iranian-backed terrorist militias in Syria and Iraq. The B-1 Lancer was originally developed by Rockwell International. After the program was revived in the 1980s to develop the B-1B variant, Rockwell continued as the primary contractor. In 1996, Boeing acquired Rockwell’s aerospace and defense divisions, which included the B-1 program. So, while Rockwell was the original designer and manufacturer of the B-1, Boeing took over its maintenance, support, and future modifications. Out of the 104 airframes produced, 45 are still in service with the USAF, but the expected introduction in 2025 of the new stealth Northrop-Grumman B-21 bomber is expected to signal the beginning of the end of the long BONE career, with the last Lancer being retired in 2036. The B-1 owns its existence indirectly to the shooting down over the Soviet Union of the U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers . That incident made apparent that the era of high-altitude bomber raids was over, killed by the advancement of Surface-to-Air Missiles and prompting the cancellation in 1961 of the Mach 3-capable XB-70 Valkyrie bomber . This started a lengthy study for a new bomber able of low altitude penetration of enemy airspace and supersonic speeds, similarly to the F-111 Aardvark but with greater payload and range. The project however had to contend for financing with the coming of age of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (and even more so with Submarine-launched Missiles), that threatened to take the nuclear strike role away from bombers. In 1969 the lengthy AMSA project finally morphed into the B-1A, with North American Rockwell (then Rockwell and currently part of Boeing) being awarded the contract for the expected 240 new bombers. In common with other penetrating strike aircraft of the period, like the American F-111 Aardvark, the European Panavia Tornado and the Soviet Su-24 Fencer, the design featured variable-sweep wings in order to provide both more lift during takeoff and landing (requiring shorter runways and being able to operate from more airbases), and lower drag during high-speed flight. Exhaust nozzles and air intake ramps were variable to achieve the expected Mach 2 performance at high altitudes (a B-1A reached a top speed of Mach 2.22 during trials). The first B-1A prototype flew on 23 December 1977, but news of the coming Soviet MiG-31 interceptor equipped with a look-down/shoot-down radar, coupled with advancing work on a stealth bomber (the B-2) and rising costs prompted President Carter to cancel the program in 1979. The need to face a Soviet escalation of Cold War proxy wars in Angola, Afghanistan and all over the world however prompted President Reagan in 1981 to reinstate the project, albeit in a modified version, the B-1B. The new airplane featured a lower top speed and fixed intake ramps, lowering cost and radar cross section, but increasing maximum takeoff weight and upgraded electronic warfare capabilities. The first B-1B was completed in 1983, while the 100th and final B-1B was delivered in 1988. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the signing of the New START arms-control treaty with Russia, the BONE underwent a refit that completely removed its ability to deliver nuclear weapons, relegating it to a conventional strike role. Its 75,000-pound (34,000 kg) payload, the heaviest among current U.S. bombers, has been employed since 1998 in Iraq. The Lancer was then deployed again against Iraq in 2003, during the war in Afghanistan and the 2011 Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya. The most recent attack was in 2024, when B-1B struck targets in Syria and Iraq . The B-1B is expected to be replaced by the B-21 stealth bomber , and the last Lancers, whose divestment started in 2021 , should serve until 2036.
The original B-1 design, produced in 4 airframes with variable engine intakes and a maximum speed of Mach 2.22. B-1B
The revised 1983 design, with fixed intakes, a maximum speed of Mach 1.25 and a reduced radar signature, produced in 100 airframes. B-1R
A proposed 2004 upgrade for the B-1B, with modern AESA radars, the capability to carry air-to-air missiles (performing the “missileer” role similar to the new F-15EX), the F119 engines of the F-22 Raptor and a maximum speed of Mach 2.2. The B-1B has only been in service with the United States Air Force, first with the Strategic Air Command, then from 1992 until 2015 with the Air Combat Command, and since then with the Air Force Global Strike Command. The USAF currently has 45 B-1B airframes. Out of 17 the U.S. Air Force retired and stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, four were maintained “in a reclaimable condition” so that they could be regenerated if needed. One of the four was elected to be regenerated from the “Boneyard”, at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona to replace the B-1B Lancer bomber of the 7th Bomb Wing, serial 85-0089, which experienced a fire engine failure during routine maintenance at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on April 20, 2022. The projected repair costs to fix the fire-damaged aircraft were expected to be cost-prohibitive, therefore the U.S. Air Force decided to pull one of the retired Lancers from storage at AMARG and recall it back to duty to bring the BONE fleet back to 45 total Lancers.
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B-1 Lancer: Variants
B-1AThe original B-1 design, produced in 4 airframes with variable engine intakes and a maximum speed of Mach 2.22. B-1B
The revised 1983 design, with fixed intakes, a maximum speed of Mach 1.25 and a reduced radar signature, produced in 100 airframes. B-1R
A proposed 2004 upgrade for the B-1B, with modern AESA radars, the capability to carry air-to-air missiles (performing the “missileer” role similar to the new F-15EX), the F119 engines of the F-22 Raptor and a maximum speed of Mach 2.2. The B-1B has only been in service with the United States Air Force, first with the Strategic Air Command, then from 1992 until 2015 with the Air Combat Command, and since then with the Air Force Global Strike Command. The USAF currently has 45 B-1B airframes. Out of 17 the U.S. Air Force retired and stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, four were maintained “in a reclaimable condition” so that they could be regenerated if needed. One of the four was elected to be regenerated from the “Boneyard”, at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona to replace the B-1B Lancer bomber of the 7th Bomb Wing, serial 85-0089, which experienced a fire engine failure during routine maintenance at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on April 20, 2022. The projected repair costs to fix the fire-damaged aircraft were expected to be cost-prohibitive, therefore the U.S. Air Force decided to pull one of the retired Lancers from storage at AMARG and recall it back to duty to bring the BONE fleet back to 45 total Lancers.
