A B-2 Spirit bomber after a mission over Iraq. REUTERS/Cherie A. Thurlby/U.S. Air Force CAT/GN
Business Insider: Here's what the US Air Force has planned for all its bombers
* The US's three bombers — the B-1B Lancer, the B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress — will be joined or replaced by the B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
* The B-52 is expected to fly through the 2050s, and the B-2 accomplished a number of firsts this summer. The B-1B, meanwhile, had particularly low mission readiness this year.
The US has three bombers — the B-1B Lancer, the stealth B-2 Spirit, and the B-52 Stratofortress — to deliver thousands of tons of firepower in combat.
Some form of the B-52 has been in use since 1955. The B-1B took its first flight in 1974, and the B-2 celebrated its 30th year in the skies in 2019. A new stealth bomber, the B-21, is in production and is expected to fly in December 2021, although details about it are scarce.
The US Air Force has been conducting missions in Europe with B-52s and B-2s in order to project dominance against Russia and train with NATO partners, but the bomber fleet has faced problems. The B-1B fleet struggled with low readiness rates, as Air Force Times reported in June, likely due to its age and overuse in recent conflicts.
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WNU Editor: The Air Force has high hopes for the B-21.
BI has it wrong on the B-1B according to the Air Force’s recent statements. True they thought the B-1B fleet was broken, now they say it’s much better than they thought after inspecting all jets. A few are in bad shape but most will be back in service this year.
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind it is the only supersonic heavy bomber in the Air Force and the Pacific Ocean is vast so time and distance rule.
They keep it, no brainer.
ReplyDeleteThe B-2 has been flying 30 years!!! I've got to check my clock. It must be plugged into 220V.