Photo By Greg L. Davis | A mostly natural metal Boeing B-1B Lancer is shown moments after the main landing gear...... read more read more
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The Rockwell, now Boeing, B-1 Lancer is a long-range, multi-role, heavy bomber used exclusively by the U.S. Air Force. The B-1 program was the answer by industry to the Department of Defense request for the B-52 Stratofortress’ replacement in the late 1960s under the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft project. The innovative design can be characterized as a scaled-up fighter-type aircraft with variable-geometry wings for better maneuverability at high-speeds. The first flight of the B-1A took place Dec. 23, 1974, which was also the first flight for the YF101 engines designed specifically for the project by General Electric.
The B-1 sits on tricycle landing gear with long, contoured fuselage lines and a wing which meets the lower fuselage in a blended joint designed to seamlessly accommodate the wing pivot point. Composite materials are used across the airframe to lower the weight and help reduce the radar signature. Large engine nacelles holding two F101 engines are attached to the fuselage below the wing joint on each side of the fuselage. The vertical tail and horizontal tailplanes feature swept leading edges with the tailplane mounted half way up the tail. Early pre-production airframes had a pointed tailcone which was later replaced with a rounded one on production aircraft.
Tinker’s association with what would become the B-1 began when Air Force Logistics Command named the Oklahoma City Air Materiel Area as the provisional system manager for the future bomber on Aug. 12, 1968, before the official request for proposal to industry was issued. Rockwell answered the RFP with the B-1 bomber design while partnering with GE for the engines. The contract for five flight test aircraft on June 5, 1970, was soon followed by formal assignment of the B-1 management on June 1, 1972, to the OC-AMA. A rocky-road for the program was to soon follow with program management given, taken away or changed in scope multiple times to date. Despite this Tinker has been the assigned repair station responsible for maintenance, repair and overhaul of the aircraft and F101 engine throughout the programs’ duration.
There were five flight test aircraft ordered under the development program which began in earnest with the first flight from Palmdale, California in late 1974. A total of four B-1As and 40 F101 engines were rapidly expanding the flight envelope when President Jimmy Carter cancelled the B-1 program on June 30, 1977. Despite the program cancellation, flight testing continued for a short time.
However, in Oct. 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced the intended purchase of 100 B-1s which quickly resurrected the program and flight testing began again. B-1Bs had a strengthened fuselage and landing gear along with redesigned engine nacelles and tailcone. Internally the B-1B was fitted with an on-board self-protection and electronic jamming suite, and ALQ-161 radar warning receiver and associated countermeasures.
B-1s were fully operational when Operations Desert Shield/Storm took place in 1990-1991. However, B-1s were not used in any capacity. The aircraft has since been employed in combat repeatedly using conventional weapons beginning in 1998 in Operation Desert Fox against Iraq, NATO Operation Allied Force against Kosovo and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Inherent Resolve. Under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty B-1s were modified for conventional weapons use only between 2007-2011.
The move from strategic bomber to a tactical bomber capable of delivering iron bombs as well as precision guided munitions from a persistent perch high above the battlefield has ensured the aircraft is in high-demand by theatre commanders. One of the most notable enhancements in recent years is the addition of a Sniper pod on the starboard side of the forward fuselage to give the aircrew, “improved long-range target detection/identification and continuous stabilized surveillance for all missions, including close air support of ground forces,” according to an Air Force fact sheet.
Manufacturer: Rockwell (now Boeing)
Aircraft type: B-1
Nickname: Lancer
Crew: 4
Power plant: Four General Electric F101 afterburning turbofan engines producing 30,000 pounds of thrust each.
In-service dates: Dec. 23, 1974-present
Number produced: 104
Tinker connection: Program management, maintenance, repair and overhaul
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2017 15:51 |
| Story ID: | 256537 |
| Location: | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 367 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tinker Celebrates 75 Years: Rockwell B-1 Lancer aircraft profile, by Greg L. Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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