STILL THE ONE The capabilities of the B-1 are growing, and so is its role as a long-range conventional bomber Asleek bomber’s name. according to the U.S. military.ropped about engineering support for the upgrade workmonitor the health of the bomber duringflight. Boeing employees will providecraft has dthe sorties; the air60 percent of the weapons in Afghanistan,ircrews affectionately refer to it asthe “Bone,” a play on the fast and But the B-1 (B-One) has truly become A recent article in USA Today about the at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. the backbone of the U.S. long-range importance of the B-1 noted that with a top The entire B-1 fleet is scheduled to be bomber force and has seen combat speed of more than 900 mph (1,480 kilo- upgraded by the end of 2019. almost continuously since 2001. Earlier meters per hour), the B-1 can streak across Although the B-1 entered service with this year, the B-1 fleet performed its the width of Afghanistan in about 45 min- the Air Force in 1985, the upgrades will 10,000th combat mission, in support utes, a lifesaving capability when ground ensure it has the latest technology to of ground operations in Afghanistan. forces need immediate air support. perform whatever missions are required Not bad for a bomber originally And the B-1 is going to get even better. for many more years. designed to carry nuclear weapons and Designed and built by Rockwell, one The B-1 was modified to carry con- which seemed irrelevant after the end of of Boeing’s heritage companies, ongoing ventional weapons after the Cold War the Cold War. Instead, the B-1 Lancer modifications to the B-1 will make it ended. It can carry many more bombs became a workhorse in Iraq and then more capable. and missiles than any other airplane in Afghanistan. And its role as a conventional The U.S. Air Force recently awarded the Air Force inventory. A typical B-1 bomber, with the speed and range to Boeing a contract to outfit an additional payload is 24 2,000-pound (900-kilogram) fly very long distances fast, is growing nine B-1s with an upgraded Integrated Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs. as the U.S. military shifts its focus Battle Station, which includes updating It also has the capability to destroy moving from Afghanistan. the front and aft cockpit. Pilots will targets with laser JDAM weapons. During Operational Iraqi Freedom, have new flat-panel displays, data link Today, the B-1 fleet numbers B-1s dropped 40 percent of all weapons communications and improved situational 63 aircraft, based at Dyess Air Force in the war while flying only 5 percent of awareness. A new diagnostic system will Base in Texas and Ellsworth Air Force 18 BOEING FRONTIERS / NOVEMBER 2012
Frontiers November 2012 Issue
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