The U.S. Air Force's B-1 Bomber Is Back

A B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB, S.D., rests on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam,   July 23, 2020. (Joshua Sinclair/U.S. Air Force)  

National Interest: America's B-1B Bomber Fleet Was Just Massively Updated 

 Integrated Battle Station represents an exciting leap forward in the modernization of the famous bombers. An eight-year-long project to install the Integrated Battle Station (IBS) on the B-1B Lancer fleet has been completed ahead of schedule, the United States Air Force announced. A total of sixty of the late Cold War-era aircraft went through the modification process, which began in late 2012. It was reported to be the largest and most complicated modification performed to date on the B-1 and it gave the flight deck a completely new look. 

The battle station was developed as three separate modifications that included a Fully Integrated Data Link, Vertical Situational Display Unit and Central Integrated Test System. “During development, it became obvious that modifying the same aircraft three times would be detrimental to aircraft availability and would create numerous aircraft configurations,” said William Barnes, B-1B Systems program manager at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center. “Thus Integrated Battle Station was born.”  

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Update: Air Force Completes 8-Year B-1 Bomber Battle Station Upgrade (Military.com)  

WNU Editor: This is a surprise. This modernization program is months ahead of what was planned .... Air Force’s B-1 Bomber Fleet Months Ahead of Repair Schedule, General Says (Military.com).