5 Fast Facts On The Powerhouse B-1B Lancer (2024)

Like many time-honored weapons systems in the U.S. Armed Forces arsenal - the AH-64 Apache helicopter, the M1 Abrams main battle tank, the Bradley fighting vehicle, and the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft all come to mind - the B-1B Lancer strategic bomber is a survivor.

Not just a survivor of the battlefield, mind you, but a survivor of initial storms of controversy inflicted by politicians and media pundits alike, whether due to the weapons systems' expense, initial technical glitches ("growing pains," so to speak), or both.

Now that the B1-B has, to paraphrase the old Virginia Slim cigarette advert slogan, "Come A Long Way, Baby," this is as good a time as any for Simple Flying to share some fun facts about this iconic aircraft.

5 Golden anniversary coming soon

The B-1B will be turning 50 this December.

As hard to believe as this may seem, this Lancer will be celebrating her 50th birthday toward the end of the year. To be more precise, the B-1 made her maiden flight as the B1-A iteratin on December 23, 1974. The original manufacturer of the B-1 was Rockwell International, but was later succeeded by Boeing.

However, there was a nearly 12-year gap between that maiden flight and the bomber's official operational service debut. Point two on our list explains why.

4 She came back from the brink of cancelation

Carter killed the program, but Regan brought it back.

Thanks to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, the B-1 almost didn't make it past the prototype phase. In June 1977, Mr. Carter announced the cancelation of the B-1A program, calling it:

Photo: USAF

However, Carter's successor to the Oval Office, Ronald Wilson Reagan, had other ideas when he came to power. Whilst on the 1980 campaign trail, Mr. Reagan cited the cancelation of the B-1 program as a prime example of Carter's perceived weakness of defense issues.

Not quite 9 months after assuming office, President Reagan announced the resurrection of the B-1 program. On October 1, 1986, the dream finally became a reality when the now B-1B attained official operational capability with the US Air Force. The rest, as they say, is history.

3 She wasn't America's first supersonic bomber

The Convair B-58 Hustler began service with the USAF in 1960.

Though the B-1B was America's first *operational* supersonic bomber, she wasn't the the nation's first supersonic bomber. That distinction belongs to the Convair B-58 Hustler, which was indeed *the world's* first supersonic bomber of any kind, capable of Mach 2 flight. She took her maiden flight in November 1956 and served in an official capacity from 1960 to 1970.

And in-between the Hustler and the Lancer, there was the XB-70 Valkyrie, which debuted in 1964 and could fly at *triple* the speed of sound. Alas, unlike the B-1, the Valkyrie never made it past the experimental phase, and only two specimens were ever built.

2 Faster than the B-52 and with more payload

The original prototype B-1A could reach Mach 2.2.

It's not surprising to casual military aviation buffs that the supersonic B-1B is significantly faster than her fellow American strategic bomber, the subsonic B-52 Stratofortress. The official USAF Fact Sheet lists the max airspeed of 900-plus mph (1448 kph; Mach 1.2 at sea level), whilst the B.U.F.F. (Big Ugly Fat F*cker, or Fellow if you're in polite company) tops off at 650 mph (1046 kph; Mach 0.84). The B-1A prototype was even faster, reaching Mach 2.2.

What perhaps *is* surprising to all but the most hardcore aviation buffs is that the B1-B actually carries a heavier payload than the B-52:

"The payload category marks another easy win for the Lancer. The supersonic bomber can carry 75,000 lbs. (34,019 kg) of weapons in its three internal weapons bays, plus an additional 50,000 lbs. spread over six external hardpoints. In contrast, the B-52 can only carry 70,000 lbs. (31,500 kg) in bombs spread over its two internal bays and external pylons."

Those impressive numbers translate to B1-B having the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the USAF arsenal, according to Military.Com.

1 It has an official monicker and unofficial nickname

The Lancer's 'stable name' relates to B-1 (B-one, or BONE)

Many of the USAF warbirds have both an officially designated moniker and an unofficial nickname that's far more popular among the troops who actually fly them and maintain them.

Photo:Oletjens | Wikimedia

The F-16, officially the Fighting Falcon (same as the nickname of the Air Force Academy's sports teams), is known as the "Viper" within her tight-knit community. Whilst many folks know of the A-10 Warthog, far fewer people know that the official name of the plane is the Thundebolt II, a direct successor to another super durable warplane, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt of WWII.

And the Lancer's affectionate moniker to her loyal crew dogs? The "Bone":

Perpsectives of a former "Bone" crew chief

Here are some additional facts that may not be so fast, but they're still certainly a lot of fun, as they come straight from the horse's mouth. My friend Joby Bennett (Maj, USAF, Ret.) was one of my classmates at the USAF Air & Space Basic Course (ASBC) back when we were both 2nd Lieutenants.

Like me, Joby came up the prior enlisted ranks before "selling his soul to the Dark Side" and getting commissioned. Unlike me, a ground-pounding knuckle-dragging Security Forces troop, Joby's prior enlisted job was, you guessed it, a crew chief on the "Bone." Here are some of Joby's perspectives on the bomber:

"In mid-1990s [then-USAF Chief of Staff] General [John] Jumper made decision to send a large number of B1s to the bone yard. At the time this was an unpopular decision but in the end it freed up a large number of much needed spare parts that inevitably allowed to B1 to continue service.

​​​​​​"The B1 wasn’t originally designed for CAS [close air support] but, similar to the upgraded B52, a lightning pod was added during the OEF/OIF [Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom] days, which enables the WSOs [Weapons System Officers] a much better view of ground targets and enables better integration with JTACs [Joint Terminal Attack Controllers].

"The B1 has terrain following radar that enables low level bomb runs while the pilots are 'hands off' the controls. I’m not sure how often they actually use this anymore but I would assume they still train for a more strategic mission."

Many thanks for that, Maj. (Ret.) Bennett!