From www.af.mil


DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Workers from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center here and maintainers from the 654th Combat Logistics Support Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., have regenerated the first B-1B Lancer. After two months of flight preparations, the B-1B took off Sept. 2 for Dyess AFB, Texas. The Lancer, Serial No. 86-0097, entered storage at the center in April 2003 under the Air Force's B-1B consolidation plan. In early 2004, the commander of Air Combat Command directed the recall of this B-1B to supplement fleet requirements supporting the war on terrorism. (U.S. Air Force photo by Terry D. Vanden-Heuvel)

Sweet - that's a gorgeous looking plane.

On a related note, their faster cousin, the B1-A....any B1-A's left in service?  Or were they never put into service and simply a prototype that was abandoned for the B1-B?

Coolest aircraft of all time:  SR-71 Blackbird

 2nd Coolest of all time:  B-1 bomber

 3rd Coolest of all time:  P-51 Mustang

That gorgeous bird should never have been taken OUT of service in the first place.

Quoted: Coolest aircraft of all time:  SR-71 Blackbird  2nd Coolest of all time:  B-1 bomber  3rd Coolest of all time:  P-51 Mustang

No F-14?... NO F-14??? .... NO F-14??????

Look you "under 3,000 Post" Newbie... WHY I OUGHTA!!!!!!!  

Next time YOU WILL remember the TOMCAT!!!!

Although there are TOO MANY great choices that we have flying... The three you did pick are NOT aircraft... they are flying pieces of art... so I guess I have to agree with ya.

Quoted: After two months of flight preparations, the B-1B took off Sept. 2 for Dyess AFB, Texas.

That sounds short. I'd once heard it would take at best 6 months to get any aircraft out of mothballs. I guess dedicated people can make things happen.

Never built.
Thank President Carter.

Quoted: On a related note, their faster cousin, the B1-A....any B1-A's left in service?  Or were they never put into service and simply a prototype that was abandoned for the B1-B?

A couple of the B-1 Bombers were put into Type 3000 storage.
I think the AF knew this was going to happen.

24 B-1 bombers were inducted into Davis-Monthan.

12 were placed in Type 1000 / 3000 storage.
86-0097 has been sitting in the number 16 Holding Area along with two other B-1's since they arrived at DM in Jan of this year.

The other 12 have been placed into Type 4000 storage

Type 1000 Aircraft stored in near-flyaway condition. Can be stored without re-preservation for a period of 4 years. Aircraft stored under this category may be downgraded to Type 2000.

Type 2000 Generally aircraft allocated for reclamation purposes. Aircraft stored under this category may be downgraded to Type 4000.

Type 3000 Flyable hold for 90 days or more, pending transfer, sale or disposition.

Type 4000 Minimal preservation. Generally aircraft stored in this category are awaiting disposal.

Quoted: Quoted: After two months of flight preparations, the B-1B took off Sept. 2 for Dyess AFB, Texas. That sounds short. I'd once heard it would take at best 6 months to get any aircraft out of mothballs. I guess dedicated people can make things happen.

Another picture of the same B-1

Quoted: Sweet - that's a gorgeous looking plane.

It looks like a freaking goose, but it pounds the crap out of the enemy, so it's beautiful to me.

That is what the Iranians will see if they don't shut up.

Nice planes, they really do have a place in the present and future Air Force, but they are very expensive to build and very expensive to maintain.

Quoted: That gorgeous bird should never have been taken OUT of service in the first place.

Super Mega Ultra DITTO
But  also want to see the SR-71 up there too.

Some more B-1 pic's;

Dont forget the over 40 crowd.

The B1-B is the sleekest, most beautiful aircraft in history. Every time I see a pic of one, I am mesmerized.

After seeing one inverted, going supersonic, and trying to act like an F-4, I'm convinced that the B-1B is a fighter at heart.

The bomber with the spirit of a fighter. What a beautiful thought.

Fucking awesome pics...let's all take a moment to thank John Kerry for voting against the B1.

It's a shame to even think of placing such a fine aircraft in storage. In fact, I am still pissed that we put our B-52G's out to pasture at Davis-Monthan.

But at least it appears this was intended to be a short term thing for the most part as far as the B-1B is concerned. At least I hope so. In the world we live in today, we need every capable combat bird to be flying, especially aircraft with the capability of the B-1B.

Quoted: Another picture of the same B-1 www.af.mil/media/photodb/photos/040903-F-0000C-003.jpg

That thing looks like Death on a stick, man.

They made 4 B-1A's
And 100 B-1B's

I ran across this B-1 story the other day, don't know if a word of it is really true, but it sure makes a good story...

http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_jokes_true_story_from_afghanistan.asp

A True Story from Afghanistan


So we are up in the mountains at about 0100 hrs looking for a bad guy that we thought was in the area. Here are ten of us, pitch black, crystal clear night, about 25 degrees. We know there are bad guys in the area, a few shots have been fired but no big deal. We decide that we need air cover and the only thing in the area is a solo B-1 bomber.

He flies around at about 20,000 feet and tells us there is nothing in the area. He then asks if we would like a low level show of force.

Stupid question. Of course we tell him yes.

The controller who is attached to the team then is heard talking to the pilot. Pilot asks if we want it subsonic or supersonic.

Very stupid question.

Pilot advises he is twenty miles out and stand by. The controller gets us all sitting down in a line and points out the proper location. You have to picture this. Pitch black, ten killers sitting down, dead quiet and overlooking this about 30 mile long valley.

All of a sudden, way out (below our level) you see a set of four 200' white flames coming at us. The controller says, "Ah-- guys-- you might want to plug your ears". Faster than you can think a B-1, supersonic, 1000' over our heads, blasts the sound barrier and it feels like God just hit you in the head with a hammer". He then stands it straight up with 4 white trails of flame coming out and disappears.

Cost of gas for that: Probably $50,000

Hearing damage: For certain

Bunch of ragheads thinking twice about shooting at us: Priceless.

-Gator

I think I just creamed my shorts.

Bad to the B-ONE

Truly an awesome aircraft. I had the privilege of seeing one in action at the Dayton Airshow a few years ago and I loved every minute of it. But then again I grew up an Airforce brat and I find myself becoming more and more nostalgic at the sight of ANY military aircraft.  

On a somewhat related note, my family and I had the good fortune of a low altitude fly over by Marine One ( Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King) and a Blackhawk escort as we traveled down I-90 here in Ohio this past Saturday. That was a first for us. Too cool. My only regret is that I didnt have time to open up the sun-roof and give Dubya the "four more years" wave as they passed over head.

That is one fine looking bird!

- BG

Our only low observable supersonic intercontinental penetrator.

Too bad we "removed" their ability to carry nukes.

1/50th the RCS of a B-52 with a better ECM suite and it goes supersonic? SICK!

It's threads like this that make me stick around here.

74-0158 Rockwell B-1A
Dismantled and used as weapons trainer at Lowry AFB.
Scrapped

74-0159 Rockwell B-1A
Crashed near Edwards Aug 27, 1984.  
Front fuselage noted stored at Edwards AFB fall 2003.
When the B-1 bomber program was re-instituted in 1981, the plan called for the use of the original four B-1A prototypes as test-beds for systems for the B-1B.   B-1A number 2 (74-0159) was modified by having B-1B flight control system features installed and was intended for air load testing and engine/inlet development. It began flying on March 23, 1983. Unfortunately, it crashed on August 29, 1984 when the aircraft lost control when the center of gravity became unbalanced during fuel transfer management. The escape capsule deployed successfully, but the parachute risers did not deploy properly. The capsule hit the ground at a steep angle, so steep that the inflatable cushions could not shield the impact. Chief test pilot Douglas Benefield was killed, and two other crew members were seriously injured.

74-0160 Rockwell B-1A
Designated as GB-1A at Lowry TTC.
Lowry TTC is now the Wings Over the Rockies Aviation and Space Museum, Denver, CO.
On Display

76-0174  Rockwell B-1A
Was on display at WPAFB Museum since Dec 1986.  
Has been dismantled  and moved to Strategic Air and Space Museum, Ashland, NE .  
Moved there Oct 2003.
www.strategicairandspace.com/restoration/restoration_B-1.html


OFFICIAL USAF B-1 WEB SITE
More USAF B-1 Bomber information than you can shake your dick at (check out the photo gallerys):
BONE COUNTRY
www.b1b.wpafb.af.mil/

Quoted: They made 4 B-1A's And 100 B-1B's

Oh my. There it goes again.

Check out the wing flex on the B52.  

Such an awesome machine. Great pics in this thread, too. They probably reactivated that one to replace the loss of #86-0114 near Diego Garcia in 2001. Anyone know if they figured out what exactly caused that crash?

No, most of the B-1's at Davis-Monthan went there between Aug 02 and Mar 03.
A couple went there in Jan of 04.
None went there before Aug 02.
These are aircraft that are going to augment the current B-1 fleet as it is getting hammered by flight ops.

Quoted: Such an awesome machine. Great pics in this thread, too. They probably reactivated that one to replace the loss of #86-0114 near Diego Garcia in 2001. Anyone know if they figured out what exactly caused that crash?

I still want to kick Carter in the nuts.

The B1A was put in-service by President Reagan. The B1B was redesigned for more stealth, and reduced it's top speed as a result of the stealth mods to the engine inlets. Still, M 1.6 out of a beast this size is VERY impressive.

EEZ THA SHIT, MON!!!

I had read that the reason they chose to mothball them was because the heat signature of the 4 closely paired engines couldn’t be masked with counter measures from the newer Russian and Chinese SAM's which were sold to every piss ant 3rd world country that had the $$$

Quoted: I still want to kick Carter in the nuts.

Word.

Yet another reason (among a multitude of others) to despise Peanut Boy and love Ronald Reagan.

Quoted: On a related note, their faster cousin, the B1-A....any B1-A's left in service?  Or were they never put into service and simply a prototype that was abandoned for the B1-B?

Don't know if this has been said yet, but the B1-A was just a prototype for the B1-B.

The B1-B is just another thing that we should thank President Regan for.  I am glad to see that the rumors I heard awhile back about bring them out of the bone yard were true.  The B1-B is the best bomber we have (the B2 is just to slow and expensive).

That is a beautiful plane.

that is pretty neeto Buckaroo !!

i live a few miles from the end of the runway & i heard this god awfull roar, i looked up & there was that B1 Bird over my head, those 4 engines in full burner will rattle your teeth loose !

Quoted: Dont forget the over 40 crowd.www.pixhost.com/pixj/junkman71/buff.gif

+1

Sexiest warplane ever. I would rather fly that then any front line fighter. Maybe I am just weird.

No, the B-1A was not a prototype for the B-1B.
The B-1A was supposed to be the replacement for the B-52.
There was no actual B-1B prototype.


The B-1B comes from a 1961 USAF study,  the Subsonic Low Altitude Bomber (SLAB).

In 1963, the Air Force looked over these proposals and used the results as the foundation of a new bomber proposal, termed Advanced Manned Precision Strike System (AMPSS).

In mid-1964, the USAF had revised its requirements and retitled the project as Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft (AMSA).

By 1968, an advanced development contract was issued to IBM and the Autonetics Division of North American Rockwell.

The AMSA was officially assigned the designation B-1A in April of 1969. This was the first entry in the new bomber designation series, first created in 1962.

Due to rising costs, on June 30, 1977,  President Carter announced that plans to produce the B-1A would be cancelled, and that the defense needs of the USA would be met by ICBMs, SLBMs, and a fleet of modernized B-52s armed with ALCMs.

The Carter administration allowed the flight testing of the B-1A to continue.

This work eventually evolved into a highly-classified program known as the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB). However, the ATB was at best a long-term project and did little to provide the need for a new strategic aircraft in the short term.

In November of 1979, the Air Force began to show some interest in these projects, and began to study them under the project name of Long-Range Combat Aircraft (LRCA).

From 1979 to 1981, several agencies had collaborated in a Bomber Penetration Evaluation (BPE) to determine how effective these options would be in penetrating Soviet air defenses. It was concluded that the ALCM-capable LRCA should be able to defeat any conceivable Soviet defense until at least the end of the century. On January 20, 1981, President Ronald Reagan took office  and he promised a massive defense buildup to counter the Soviet "Evil Empire", as he put it. Suddenly, proposals for a new strategic bomber began to have a much more favorable reception

On June 1, 1981, the USAF decided that it would select the Rockwell LRCA as its new multi-role strategic bomber. On October 2, 1981, President Reagan announced a Strategic Modernization Program (SMP), a key feature of which would be the procurement of 100 LRCAs. The LRCA would be designated B-1B. Another (as yet secret) key part of the SMP would be the commencement of R&D work on the ATB, which would eventually emerge as the Northrop B-2 Spirit. The general public was not made aware of the fact that two strategic bombers were being prepared rather than just one.

I LOVE PRESIDENT REAGAN!!!

On January 20, 1982, Rockwell received a contract for FSD work. There would be no B-1B prototype as such, but B-1As numbers 74-0159 and 76-0174 would be modified to support the B-1B development program.

74-0159 was later used as a flight test article in the B-1B program. It was modified by having B-1B flight control system features installed. It began flying on March 23, 1983. Unfortunately, it crashed on August 29, 1984.

76-0174 had been ordered to serve as a pre-production B-1A aircraft and was configured with full avionics systems. When the B-1A program was cancelled, work on this aircraft was well under way.
This plane was used as a test article in support of the B-1B program. It resumed flying on July 30, 1984. Externally, the main change was the removal of the long dorsal spine but many of the B-1B avionics systems were installed internally.

More info here: home.att.net/~jbaugher2/newb1.html

Quoted: Don't know if this has been said yet, but the B1-A was just a prototype for the B1-B.

Quoted: Our only low observable supersonic intercontinental penetrator. Too bad we "removed" their ability to carry nukes. 1/50th the RCS of a B-52 with a better ECM suite and it goes supersonic? SICK!

It also carries more bombs than anything else in service....

Best non-stealth bomber we have...

Sweet Jesus....I love the Lancer....

Great pix