A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber aircraft lands at Avalon Airport, Geelong, Australia, in March 2017. A House Armed Services subcommittee is raising alarms about the dismal state of B-1 readiness, and could order the Air Force to produce a plan to fix it. (Master Sgt. John Gordinier/Air Force)
Popular Mechanics: The Aging B-1 Bomber Can No Longer Fly Like It Used To
The 80s-era bomber may need to cut low-altitude flying due to old age.
* The B-1B Lancer heavy bomber was originally built in the 1980s.
* The B-1B was built for low-level flight, flying beneath radars to bomb targets deep behind enemy lines.
* Wear and tear to the airframes from decades of flight means the Air Force may restrict the B-1s from flying low.
The U.S. Air Force may soon have to restrict one of its bombers from a key mission profile: flying low. The B-1B Lancer bomber fleet is growing old and the Air Force is considering restricting its ability to fly low, which is reportedly hard on the aircraft, in order to keep the big airplanes flying.
The B-1B bomber was built during the 1980s as a heavy strategic bomber to fight a nuclear war. The B-1B was designed to use its anti-radar stealth design to penetrate Soviet territory, launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, and drop bombs before returning home. The bomber was also designed to fly fast at low altitude—below enemy radars—to evade detection.
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WNU Editor: Not many of them are operating right now .... There Are Less Than 10 B-1 Bombers Operational In The U.S. Air Force (June 7, 2019).
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