Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review, October 1, 2021

Aerotech News
Aerotech News
Aerotech News

Journal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
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Planning for B-21 Raider,

Air Force retires 17 B-1B Lancers

Air Force photograph by Clay Cupit
A B-1B Lancer, tail number 85-0074, taxis at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Sept. 23, 2021, for its final flight. The aircraft is the last of 17 Lancers previously identified for divestiture by Air Force
Global Strike Command and flown to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, often called The Boneyard, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.

by 1st Lt. Carla Pampe rector of Logistics and Engineering, said. “With able condition that is consistent with Type 2000 focus on prioritizing the health of the current
Barksdale AFB, La. fewer aircraft in the B-1 fleet, maintainers will recallable storage. fleet, including modernization efforts, to make
be able to give more time and attention to each The retirement of the aircraft did not affect the bomber fleet more lethal and capable over-
The U.S. Air Force continues to make plans aircraft remaining in the fleet.” the service’s lethality or any associated mainte- all, Bell added.
for the future B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The 17 B-1B aircraft were retired from a fleet nance manpower, and allowed officials to focus The Air Force needs to transition from three
As part of the planning, the Air Force Global of 62, leaving 45 in the active inventory. Out of maintenance and depot-level manpower on the bombers to two — a rebuilt B-52 and next-gen-
Strike Command concluded its divestiture of the 17 retired, one aircraft went to Tinker Air remaining aircraft, increasing readiness and eration B-21 — to deter both established and
17 B-1B bombers Sept. 23, 2021, as the last Force Base, Okla., as a prototype for structural paving the way to for bomber fleet moderniza- rising powers. This change is vital to future
aircraft departed Edwards Air Force Base, Ca- repair actions. tion to meet future challenges. Joint and Allied operations, because no other
lif., to fly to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance One went to Edwards AFB as a ground tester. “Beginning to retire these legacy bombers al- service or partner nation provides long-range
and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air One went to Wichita, Kansas, at the National lows us to pave the way for the B-21 Raider,” bomber capability.
Force Base, Ariz. Institute for Aviation Research for digital map- Bell said. “Continuous operations over the last The B-1B was built by Rockwell Internation-
The divestiture of the aircraft is in support of ping, and one went to Barksdale Air Force Base, 20 years have taken a toll on our B-1B fleet,
the United States Air Force’s efforts to modern- La., as a static display for the Barksdale Global and the aircraft we retired would have taken al, now Boeing North American, at its Palmdale,
ize America’s bomber fleet, as authorized by the Power museum. between 10 and 30 million dollars per aircraft Calif., facility.
National Defense Authorization Act. The remaining 13 aircraft will be stored at the to get back to a status quo fleet in the short term The B-1A was initially developed in the
“The divesture plan was executed very Boneyard at the 309th AMARG in Type 4000 until the B-21 comes online.” 1970s as a replacement for the B-52. Four pro-
smoothly,” Brig. Gen. Kenyon Bell, AFGSC Di- storage. Four of those will remain in a reclaim- By retiring these aircraft now, AFGSC can See LANCER, Page 2

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