Remember the old Hollywood cliché, where a very plain girl is pushed around by everyone until she suddenly takes off her horn-rim glasses, lets her hair down and becomes the belle of the ball? That's the way it has been with the Boeing (nee Rockwell) B-1B.
The transformation of the B-1B from a whipping boy of columnists seeking weapon system horror stories and Congressional budget cutters came just in time to save it from early extinction. The Phoenix-like rise of the Bone from the ashes of snide ridicule is long overdue, because the B-1B has always been a great airplane, despite some short comings in its electronics. Sadly, no one noted that just 100 B-1Bs were intended to stifle the Soviet Union, doing the job of 600 B-52s and 1,300 B-47s. Nor was credit ever given to the expert crews who fly it with élan, and whose skill overcame most of the electronic shortcomings. But the B-1B has now come into its own with the new precision guided munitions and improved intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aids.
Quite simply, the Bone was the most effective weapon system used during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Lieutenant General T. Michael "Buzz" Mosley, the Combined Force Air Component Commander in OIF, called the Bone his "roving linebacker" and "weapon of choice" because of its flexibility, bomb load, range, loiter time, and, most particularly, the eagerness of the B-1 aircrews to "stick their noses in the fight."
A 23-Year Gestation: The Longest in Aviation History
The B-1's development history spans 23 years — the longest gestation period of any aircraft in aviation history. The story begins in 1961, when the Air Force recognized that the aging B-52 would need a replacement capable of penetrating increasingly sophisticated Soviet air defenses at low altitude and high speed.
The conceptual lineage is a testament to the tortured defense acquisition process:
- 1961 — SLAB (Subsonic Low Altitude Bomber): initial study for a B-52 replacement optimized for low-level penetration
- ERSA (Extended Range Strike Aircraft): evolved with a variable-sweep wing requirement
- 1963 — LAMP (Low Altitude Manned Penetrator): deepened the low-altitude emphasis
- 1963 — AMPSS (Advanced Manned Precision Strike System): added precision strike requirements
- 1964 — AMSA (Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft): restored a high-altitude supersonic capability alongside the low-level mission
Three teams competed for the AMSA airframe: Boeing, General Dynamics, and North American Rockwell. For engines, the competitors were General Electric, Curtiss-Wright, and Pratt & Whitney.
The program suffered a brutal interruption at the hands of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who forced the development of the smaller FB-111A — a stretched strategic variant of the F-111 — as a cheaper alternative. He planned to procure 252 aircraft. General Curtis LeMay was blunt in his opposition: the FB-111A was simply "too small to carry the necessary fuel and weapons" for the strategic mission. LeMay lost the argument — but McNamara left for the World Bank, and his successor, Nixon's Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, reduced the FB-111A order to just 76 aircraft and reauthorized AMSA.
In April 1969, AMSA was officially designated the B-1A. On June 5, 1970, North American Rockwell was selected as prime contractor for 244 aircraft, with General Electric supplying the engines. Four B-1A prototypes were produced, and the first flight took place on December 23, 1974 — thirteen years after the SLAB study had launched the program.
Then, on June 30, 1977, President Jimmy Carter cancelled the B-1A. His stated rationale was the development of the Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM), which could give the B-52 a standoff penetration capability. Unstated — but known to Carter — was the existence of a classified stealth bomber program that would eventually become the B-2. The B-1A seemed redundant from two directions at once.
Reagan's Revival: The B-1B
On October 2, 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced the production of 100 B-1B aircraft — a reduced but strategically significant fleet. The B-1B shared approximately 85% of its airframe with the B-1A, but incorporated fundamental changes. Offensive avionics were drawn 90% from B-52H systems to reduce cost and risk. Maximum gross weight was increased to 477,000 lb.
Crucially, the B-1B incorporated significant radar cross-section reduction. While not a true stealth aircraft, its RCS measured just 1.45 square meters — compared to approximately 100 square meters for a B-52. The aircraft featured excellent terrain-following capability to exploit its low-level penetration profile.
The first production B-1B flew on October 18, 1984 — twenty-three years after the SLAB study. The aircraft achieved operational status with the 96th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB on July 7, 1985. The 100th and final aircraft was completed on May 2, 1988, equipping four Strategic Air Command bomb wings:
- 28th Bomb Wing — Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
- 96th Bomb Wing — Dyess AFB, Texas
- 319th Bomb Wing — Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota
- 384th Bomb Wing — McConnell AFB, Kansas
Problems and Bad Publicity
A blizzard of bad publicity eclipsed any sober evaluation of the B-1B's genuine capabilities in its early years. The problems were real, but the coverage was disproportionate.
The first aircraft was lost on September 28, 1987, when a bird strike killed three of the six crew members aboard. Engine problems led to all B-1Bs except alert aircraft being grounded from December 19, 1990 to February 5, 1991 — a particularly unfortunate window that coincided with the buildup to Desert Storm.
The most serious technical problem was the AN/ALQ-161A defensive avionics system, which had a persistent tendency to jam itself. Critics had a field day. What was never acknowledged was the ability of well-trained crews to compensate for the system's deficiencies through skill and procedural adaptation. The later addition of the ALE-50 towed decoy array significantly augmented the defensive suite.
Because the B-1B had been deployed solely in the nuclear deterrent role, and because it had not yet been certified for conventional munitions, it sat out the 1991 Gulf War entirely. For a fleet that had cost the nation enormous treasure and political capital, this absence was damaging to its reputation.
Mission readiness fell to unacceptable levels. Cannibalization of parts from grounded aircraft became rampant. The Bone seemed headed for early retirement.
Then everything changed. By 2003, after conventional weapons certification and crew proficiency improvements, the B-1B set 50 world speed records, including a stunning 1,333.90 km/h (828.84 mph) over a 15/25 km course.
Combat Redemption: From Desert Fox to OIF
The B-1B first tasted combat during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998. But it was during Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999 that the Bone's potential began to become clear: just 6 B-1Bs operating from RAF Fairford flew only 2% of the sorties but delivered 20% of the bombs dropped in the entire campaign.
In Afghanistan, the numbers were even more striking: the B-1B flew 5% of missions but delivered 40% of weapons, including 70% of all JDAMs employed.
Then came Iraq.
The 405th Air Expeditionary Wing, commanded by Colonel James Kowalski, deployed 10 B-1Bs supported by 10 KC-135 tankers and 2–4 E-3 AWACS aircraft. Despite flying an average of 8 missions per day, each lasting approximately 11 hours, the fleet maintained an 80% in-commission rate — extraordinary by any measure. The results were decisive:
- 2,159 JDAMs dropped — 43% of all JDAMs used in OIF
- 22% of all precision guided munitions in the theater
- 213 sorties — just 1% of coalition total, yet responsible for taking out 10% of all targets
Walla 64: Into the Super MEZ
No mission better illustrates the B-1B's transformation than the story of Walla 64 on the second night of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The crew of Walla 64 — Col. Joe Brown (aircraft commander, right seat), Capt. Lee Johnson (pilot, aircraft commander's seat), Capt. Steve Burgh (Offensive Systems Officer), and Capt. George Stone (Defensive Systems Officer) — received a last-minute mission change while still on the taxiway. Their new objective: six GPS jamming towers located deep in downtown Baghdad's "Super MEZ" — the super missile engagement zone, a dense overlay of surface-to-air missile coverage around the most heavily defended city in the world.
After a 2.5-hour flight with a KC-10 aerial refueling, Walla 64 joined a force package that included two F-16CJs (Chop 77) for SEAD and two EA-6B Prowlers (Hectic 64) for electronic jamming. The attack came from the southeast at 27,000 feet at 1825 Zulu. Baghdad was fully illuminated below — a city at war, but still lit.
What followed was 23 of 24 JDAMs released through a gauntlet of multiple SAM launches and heavy AAA fire. One surface-to-air missile broke its radar lock just 500 feet behind the aircraft. Post-strike bomb damage assessment confirmed the result: four towers completely destroyed, one with light damage. The GPS jamming threat over Baghdad was assessed as effectively neutralized.
The April 7 "Kill Chain"
On April 7, 2003, a B-1B on a "Seek and Destroy" mission — crewed by Aircraft Commander Capt. Chris Wachter, pilot Capt. Sloan Hollis, OSO Lt. Col. Fred Swan, and DSO Lt. Joe Runci — received intelligence that Saddam Hussein was reportedly present at a restaurant in Baghdad. Within a 12-minute "kill chain" from target identification to weapons release, the crew dropped two GBU-31 JDAM penetrators on the target. Saddam had left minutes before. The aircraft then continued on to strike 17 more targets on the same mission.
That is the Bone: flexible, lethal, and persistent. Mosley's roving linebacker, indeed.
B-1B Lancer — Technical Specifications
| Characteristic | Specification |
|---|---|
| First production flight | October 18, 1984 |
| Initial operational capability | July 7, 1985 (96th BW, Dyess AFB) |
| Total produced | 100 |
| Crew | 4 (AC, pilot, OSO, DSO) |
| Length | 146 ft (44.5 m) |
| Wingspan (swept) | 79 ft (24.1 m) |
| Wingspan (extended) | 137 ft (41.8 m) |
| Maximum gross weight | 477,000 lb (216,367 kg) |
| Engines | 4 × GE F101-GE-102 augmented turbofans, 30,780 lbf (136.9 kN) each |
| Maximum speed | 900+ mph (Mach 1.25) at altitude |
| Range (unrefueled) | 7,500+ miles (12,070 km) |
| Service ceiling | 60,000 ft (18,290 m) |
| Radar cross section | 1.45 sq meters (vs. ~100 sq meters for B-52) |
| Internal payload | Up to 84,000 lb (38,100 kg) |
| JDAM capacity | Up to 84 × Mk 82 / 24 × GBU-31 |
| Defensive system | AN/ALQ-161A + ALE-50 towed decoy |
This article first appeared in Flight Journal, April 2005.