In a recent strategic reshuffle, the US Air Force retired 17 of its B-1B Lancers, a significant reduction in its long-range attack force. It is all part of a larger plan to retire the entire B-1B force to pave the way for the long-awaited B-21 Raider. The high usage and maintenance of the old B-1Bs have prompted the need for this transition, which will retool the USAF inventory with newer and more affordable options.
The retirement of 17 bombers was finished in September 2021, when the last aircraft flew from Edwards Air Force Base in California to the airplane graveyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. “With fewer aircraft in the B-1 fleet, maintenance personnel will have more time and attention per aircraft remaining in the fleet,” AFGSC director of logistics and engineering Brig. Gen. Kenyon Bell said.
The B-1B Lancer, introduced in 1985, has been a USAF workhorse, especially in operations under the U.S. Central Command. Most of them included missions such as close air support, to which the B-1B was not designed. Its employment for such missions has been costly, at a huge loss of combat capability and costly stand-downs to fight a variety of issues ranging from onboard fires to faulty ejection seats.
Other than a phenomenal performance on combat sorties, the B-1B has not had a smooth sail for the last couple of years. A crash of a 28th Bomb Wing B-1B at Ellsworth Air Force Base took place under low-visibility and freezing conditions, resulting in a runway crash with no loss of life because of the ejection of all four crew members.
Following the crash on January 4, the base moved several of the remaining bombers to Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, keeping training and readiness intact as the investigation continued.
This new round of retirements will cut the B-1B fleet from approximately 100 to 45 deployable aircraft at Ellsworth and Dyess. The Air Force said retiring the Lancer fleet would pave the way for more focused maintenance policy and lay the groundwork for the stealthy, dual-capable B-21 Raider, which is being built by Northrop Grumman.
The conversion is a shift to a two-bomber force in the form of the forthcoming B-21 and the B-52H Stratofortresses that have been service-worthy for over six decades already. As yet, no mention has been made about further retirement of the B-1Bs and B-2 Spirit fleet drawdown timeline by the Air Force.
But the remainder of the B-1Bs retain their essential function as long-range weapons carriers, with the sole capability to carry long-range anti-ship missiles and eventually hypersonic missiles.
With these developments, the USAF still maintains an imposing and multi-dimensional air strike power that is capable of responding to the demands of modern warfare. The B-21 Raider will start pouring in the mid-2020s with a technology and performance leap. While the remaining B-1Bs will remain as part of the USAF, long-range striking capability and a reminder of their record and service.