B-1 Lancer
| B-1 Lancer | ||
|---|---|---|
 The B-1 Lancer | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Heavy bomber | |
| Crew | Four (aircraft commander, copilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer) | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 147 ft | 44.81 m |
| Wingspan | 136 ft 8.5 in extended forward 78 ft 2.5 in swept aft | 41.67 m 23.84 m |
| Height | 34 ft | 10.36 m |
| Wing area | 1,950 ft² | 181.2 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 192,000 lb | 87,090 kg |
| Loaded | ||
| Maximum take-off | 477,000 lb | 216,365 kg |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engines | Four General Electric F-101-GE-102 turbofan engines with afterburner | |
| Thrust | 30,000 lbf | 133 kN |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 826 mph (Mach 1.25) | 1,329 km/h |
| Combat range | 1,267 mi | 2,037 km |
| Ferry range | 6,449 mi | 10,377 km |
| Service ceiling | 60,000 ft | 18,300 m |
| Rate of climb | ||
| Armament | ||
| Guns | ||
| Bombs | 2 internal bays for 42,000 lb of ordnance | |
The Boeing B-1B Lancer is a long-range heavy bomber in service with the USAF since 1986. Together with the B-52 Stratofortress it is the backbone of the United States's long-range bomber force.
The B-1A model never went into production. The USAF acquired four prototype flight test models in the 1970s, but the program was canceled in 1977. Flight test of the four B-1A models continued through 1981.
The B-1B is the improved variant initiated by the Reagan administration in 1981. The first production model flew in October 1984, and the first B-1B was delivered to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in June 1985, with initial operational capability on October 1, 1986. The final B-1B was delivered May 2, 1988. A total of 90 front-line aircraft were produced at a cost of over $200 million each.
| Table of contents |
|
2 General Characteristics 3 Variants 4 Units Using the B-1 |
Technology
The B-1B has a blended wing and body configuration, along with variable-geometry design and turbofan enginess, to improve range and speed with enhanced survivability. Forward wing settings are used for takeoff, landings and high-altitude maximum cruise. Aft wing settings are used in high subsonic and supersonic flight, enhancing the B-1B's maneuverability.
The B-1B's offensive avionics include the forward-looking offensive radar set employing synthetic aperture radar, ground moving target indicator and terrain-following radar modes, an extremely accurate Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System, the avionics control unit complex, a Doppler radar, and a radar altimeter. These features enable aircrews to globally navigate, accurately refine aircraft position without the need for ground-based navigation aids, update mission information and target coordinates in-flight, and perform precision bombing.
The B-1B's electronic jamming equipment, infrared countermeasures, radar location and warning systems combine with its low-radar cross-section to aid the aircrat's survival in hostile airspace. The current defensive avionics system consist of the ALQ-161A radio frequency surveillance and electronic countermeasures system, the tail warning function, and the expendable countermeasures system, and is supplemented by the ALE-50 Towed Decoy System.
The defensive avionics system is a comprehensive electronic countermeasures package that detects enemy threats and applies the appropriate countermeasures, such as electronic jamming or dispensing expendable chaff and flares to protect against radar-homing and heat-seeking missiles. The TDS complements the system by providing greater protection against RF threats. Low-radar cross-section is provided by the combination of aircraft structure and radar-absorption materials that reduce the aircraft's radar signature to approximately 1 percent that of the B-52. Similar to the offensive avionics, the defensive suite has a reprogrammable design that allows in-flight changes to be made to counter new or changing threats.
The B1-B has been upgraded since production through the Conventional Mission Upgrade Program. This has improved the precision and standoff weapons and the electronic countermeasures suite. The upgrade program includes GPS receivers, a weapons interface which enables the use of the joint direct attack munition and other weapons, secure radios, and improved computers to support new precision and near-precision weapons such as the wind-corrected munitions dispenser, the joint standoff weapon, the joint air-to-surface standoff missile.
These improvements help lay the foundation for future precision miniature munitions, such as Small Diameter Bomb. These and other improvements are intended to ensure that the B-1 will be viable up to and beyond 2010.
The B-1B holds several world records for speed, payload and distance. The National Aeronautic Association recognized the B-1B for completing one of the 10 most memorable record flights for 1994.
Sometimes critized as redundant, the B-1B was given new life as the new threats of the 21st-century surfaced, and fills a niche in the Air Force inventory. It's worth noting that the project finished on budget, and has higher survivability and speed as compared to the older B-52 which it was intended to replace. With the arrival of limited numbers of B-2s in the 1990s and the continuing use of the B-52s, its value has been questioned. However, the capability of a high speed strike with a large bomb payload for time-sensitive operations is useful, such as for strikes against enemy leaders or delivery of nuclear weapons.
Operationally, the B-1B was first used in combat in support of operations against Iraq during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998. B-1s have been subsequently used in Operation Allied Force (the patrol of no-fly zones in Iraq) and most notably Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
| Primary Function: | Long-range, multi-role, heavy bomber |
| Builder: | Boeing, North America (formerly Rockwell International, North American Aircraft) |
| Operations Air Frame and Integration: | Offensive avionics, Boeing Military Airplane; defensive avionics, AIL Division |
| Power plant: | Four General Electric F-101-GE-102 turbofan engine with afterburner |
| Thrust: | 30,000 pounds (133 kN) with afterburner, per engine |
| Length: | 146 feet (44.5 m) |
| Wingspan: | 137 feet (41.8 m) extended forward, 79 feet (24.1 m) swept aft |
| Height: | 34 feet (10.4 m) |
| Weight: | Empty, approximately 190,000 pounds (86,000 kg) |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight: | 477,000 pounds (217,000 kg) |
| Speed: | 900-plus mph (Mach 1.2 at sea level) |
| Range: | Intercontinental, unrefueled |
| Ceiling: | More than 30,000 feet (9,000 m) |
| Crew: | Four (aircraft commander, copilot, offensive systems officer and defensive systems officer) |
| Armament: | Three internal weapons bays can accommodate up to 84 Mk-82 general purpose bombs or Mk-62 naval mines, 30 CBU-87/89 cluster munitions or CBU-97 Sensor Fused Weapons and up to 24 GBU-31 JDAM GPS guided bombs or Mk-84 general purpose bombs |
| Date Deployed: | June 1985 |
| Unit Cost: | $200-plus million per aircraft |
| Inventory: | Active force, 72; ANG, 18; Reserve, 0 |
Variants
Units Using the B-1
| Modern USAF Series | Miscellaneous | |
| Attack--OA-10 Thunderbolt II>OA/A-10,AC-130H/U | RC-135V/W | |
| B-1B Lancer | Bomber--B-52,B-2 Spirit | |
| OC-135B | ||
| B-2 Spirit | Fighter--F-15 Eagle>F-15/E,F-16 | KC-10,KC-135 Stratotanker |
| B-52 Stratofortress | Electronic--E-3 Sentry>E-3,E-4B | |
| HC-130P/HC-130N>N | ||
| F-117A Nighthawk | Transport--C-5 Galaxy>C-5,C-17 Globemaster III | |
| MC-130E/MC-130H>H/P | ||
| C-22B, Boeing C-32 | ||
| MH-53J/M | ||
| Trainers--T-1 Jayhawk>T-1, T-37 Tweet | ||
| HH-60G | ||
| Weather--WC-130 Hercules>WC-130, WC-135 | ||
| UH-1N | ||
| UAV--RQ-1 Predator>RQ-1/MQ-1 UAV, Global Hawk | U-2S/TU-2S | |
| VC-25 | ||
| Current USAF aircraft - Bombers | |
|---|---|
| B-1B Lancer - B-2 Spirit - B-52 Stratofortress - F-117A Nighthawk | |
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Related Development | |
| Similar Aircraft | Tupolev Tu-160 |
| Designation Series | B-1 Lancer - B-2 |
| Related Lists | List of military aircraft of the United States - List of bomber aircraft |
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