Beg to differ. Ain't the cost of the bullet that determines the total cost of the operation. Using the most expensive aircraft to throw spitballs, comparatively speaking, ain't the smartest thing to do. Wear and tear of engines and airframes of strategic weapons systems certainly not worth the effort of nailing pirates. Kind of like using Abrams tanks to chase and shoot up bank robbers.
Ending the piracy starts with oblitering their shore bases, their banking, links, their homes and families, their safe havens, and any one that trades with them. Kill them all. Make the piracy trade more dangerous to them than an Ebola epidemic or be prepared to see more turd worlders turn to piracy and hijacking. Right now the coastal Somali economy depends on these acts of piracy. And f*** their refugee status.
Better to use the B-1s to create a totally Somali-free zone 200 miles wide. That ain't going to happen, so we'll accept it as the cost of business til there's no longer any business.
The B-1s are actually a fairly cost-effective platform -total lifecycle wise. Part of this is that they were designed for the low-level penetration mission, which is significantly more stressful (wear and tear) than the mid to high profiles they’ve actually spent most of their lives flying.
What are the other options for really going after East African pirates? Carrier (CVN or LHA/LHD) fixed wing? Aegis cruisers/destroyers with guns and helos? LCSes with the same? Drones with Hellfires and LGBs? Anything else?
Seems that drones might be the only cheaper option than Bones (or B-52s) flying from Diego Garcia or Qatar. And assuming that they can operate from locations close enough to provide decent loiter time (since we’re talking armed Reapers and Predators and not Global Hawks ...)