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A B-1B bomber caught fire on the flight line at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on April 20, the base announced. The fire started around 10 p.m. during “routine engine maintenance” while the B-1 Lancer was parked, according to a Dyess press release. Two individuals were injured during the fire and transported to a local medical facility with “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to the release. They were later released. A Dyess Air Force Base public affairs official told Air Force Magazine that the cause of the fire and whether the aircraft can be salvaged are still being investigated. Information on the...

The B-1B Lancer bomber flew Saturday over the Strait of Hormuz... the Red Sea, its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Egypt’s Suez Canal. Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia also took part. The B-1B came from the 37th Bomb Squadron based at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.

While the global economy remains in a state of near ubiquitous lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the US military has been busy. According to an update posted on the Pacific Air Forces website, a B-1B Lancer strategic bomber part of the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron was one of two B-1s conducting a training mission in the South China Sea in support of Pacific Air Forces’ training efforts and “strategic deterrence missions to reinforce the rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific region.“ The training missions follows what Stars and Stripes described on April 30 as a “show of force” by...

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a show of American military might to North Korea, U.S. bombers and flight escorts flew on Saturday to the farther point north of the border between North and South Korea by any such American aircraft this century. The Pentagon said the mission in international airspace showed how seriously President Donald Trump takes North Korea’s “reckless behavior.” “This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the president has many military options to defeat any threat,” Defense Department spokesman Dana White said in a statement. “North Korea’s weapons program is a grave threat...

A large association of battlefield target spotters has written to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to oppose the planned retirement of A-10 Warthog strike jets — a debate that now encompasses the “friendly fire” deaths of five American soldiers in Afghanistan. The A-10 endorsement from the Tactical Air Control Party Association is significant because, outside of the Warthog’s pilots themselves, perhaps no other warriors know its ability to protect ground troops under fire better than the ground controllers who guide it to enemy targets. ... The five fatalities occurred on June 9, when a B-1B strategic bomber — a planned replacement...

Lockheed LRASM completes captive carry tests Lockheed Martin says it recently completed a series of captive carry flight tests for a new Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) it is developing for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) over the Point Mugu sea range in California. The new weapon, which is based upon the company's AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) system, is expected to make its first free flight test later this year. mfc-lrasm-pr2-h.jpgMike Fleming, Lockheed's LRASM air launch programme manager, says that the captive carry tests were flown onboard a...

The Backbone Of America's Bomber Force Is Getting A Massive Upgrade (B-1B Lancer) David Cenciotti, The AviationistFebruary 2, 2013, 4:30 AM The U.S. Air Force is about to further upgrade its fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers. With what the service announces as “the largest B-1 modification in program history” the supersonic swing-wing bomber will get several improvements as part of the Integrated Battle Station and Sustainment-Block 16 (SB-16) upgrade aimed to provide B-1 aircrews with a higher level of situational awareness and a faster, secure digital communication link. SB-16, includes a Vertical Situation Display Upgrade in the cockpit that will...

The Bomber That Carries America's Biggest Bunker-Busters Is Getting Major Upgrades Michael Kelley Aug. 9, 2012, 3:24 PM |U.S. Air Force The Air Force's B-1B "Lancer" multi-mission bomber is getting some notable upgrades in the next year, David Cenciotti at The Aviationist reports. Known as "Bone" in aviation circles, the B-1B is capable of accommodating the largest payloads in the U.S. Air Force inventory – including the the 30,000 lb Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) that is now ready to bust bunkers 200 feet down and through 60 feet of reinforced concrete. In June, Cenciotti reported that the B-1B "will be...

6/2/2012 - DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS) -- B-1B Lancers are currently undergoing the most advanced hardware and software upgrades to date as part of the Sustainment-Block 16 program. Sustainment-Block 16 upgrades include a fully integrated data link in the aft station and vertical situation display upgrade in the front station as well as updates to navigation, radar and diagnostic systems. "The B-1 has never seen this many upgrades in one block," said Maj. Thomas Bryant, the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron assistant director of operations. "These upgrades will give us an entirely new aircraft; this is a game...

Able to carry the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the Air Force inventory, the B-1B Lancer is the backbone of America's long-range bomber force. A B-1B is scheduled to both fly and be on static display at the 2011 Selfridge Air Show and Open House, Aug. 20-21 at the base. The highly-versatile and multi-mission capable B-1 is in high demand in support of operations around the world. "This is an awesome opportunity to see the Lancer up close and personal," said Lt. Col. Phillip Sheridan, vice wing commander of the 127th Wing, which is based at...

The last 28th Bomb Wing B-1B Lancer received the necessary modifications to operate the Sniper advanced targeting pod Oct. 18. The advanced targeting pod acts as a long-range camera, which can pinpoint targets for precision strikes and close-air-support missions. "It's hard to imagine doing close-air support without it," said Capt. William Louie, the 34th Bomb Squadron weapons systems officer. "The sniper pod and the B-1 go together very well, especially with the expanded mission of the bomber." Since its combat debut in 2008, the Sniper pod has become an invaluable tool in assisting coalition servicemembers on the ground in hostile...

B-1B Lancer achieved 10,000 flight hours here, June 12. After 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit professionals braved temperatures in excess of 110 degrees Fahrenheit preparing the aircraft for the flight, the aircrew stepped in and performed the milestone mission, despite an 18-hour duty day. "The tremendous amount of man-hours spent maintaining the B-1 and the sacrifices the maintainers endure away from their families, working extremely long hours in austere locations, has facilitated this historic event," said Master Sgt. Mathias Stewart, 34 AMU Airframe Powerplant General B-1 flight chief. "I am an extremely big fan of all maintainers, especially the crew chiefs...

Last week, we wrote that the Air Force Council, the blue suiters board of directors that advises the air chief, was considering deep cuts to force structure to meet aggressive savings targets laid out by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. One option they are reportedly considering is early retirement of all 66 B-1B Lancer bombers, last delivered in the late 1980s. Yesterday, the Lancer fleet got a hearty shout-out from new installed Afghan commander Gen. David Petraeus. “It is a great platform,” he told senators at his confirmation hearing. “It carries a heck of a lot of bombs… and it has...

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer heavy bombers (assigned to the 28th Bomb Squadron in Dyess Air Force Base, Texas) on a training mission in New Mexico, USA1600 x 942 pixels + 2208 x 1300 pixels + 3200 x 1884 pixels + via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060914.htm The Photographer Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald, United States Air Force  

Back to the Title 10 side of the house for a moment; the Air Force Council meets today to consider further cuts in aircraft to meet aggressive savings targets laid out by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. One option on the table: early retirement of all 66 B-1B Lancer bombers (the last delivery of which came back in 1988). Force structure cuts might also extend to the air arm’s much cherished but currently under-utilized fighter force. The service already plans to early retire 250 fighters this year, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said last month; gone are 112 F-15s, 134 F-162,...

The non-nuclear B-1 Lancer has adapted from a strategic mission to a close-air support role, and will continue to play an effective part in today's fight in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to leaders here. While the remaining bombers in the Air Force inventory transferred to Air Force Global Strike Command, the B-1 has become the go-to airframe when combatant commanders want a show of force or support for ground troops. "The predominance of what we are doing right now in theater is close-air support; non-traditional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and armed overwatch" said Col. Charlie Catoe, 7th Operations Group commander....

1024 x 818 pixels . . . 2486 x 1987 pixels . . .  via and more info http://www.flickr.com/photos/av8pix/2490787779/   1630 x 1202 pixels . . . 2306 x 1700 pixels . . .  via and more info http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-200905.htm  

Testing of the Lockheed Martin Sniper Targeting Pod on board the B-1B Lancer bomber has been accelerated in recent and is nearly completed, leading to the Air Force's Air Combat Command plans to approve sending pod-equipped bombers on operational missions by mid-summer. Because the sniper pod is a desperately needed capability in theater, Edwards Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force and the 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, combined the operational and developmental testing of a B-1B Lancer to accelerate the integration of the sniper targeting pod with the B-1B bomber. "Everyone at the here...

1. USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, with a Prandtl-Glauert Condensation Cloud, over the Pacific Ocean photographed by Bobbi Garcia. More info about the photo: http://web.archive.org/web/20031205232202/www.edwards.af.mil/archive/2003/2003-archive-garcia_photo.html Watch the first 15 seconds of this video: http://www.as.northropgrumman.com/products/b2spirit/assets/vm_b2_tx.wmv Via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20040817.htm 2. USAF B-52 Stratofortress loaded with Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) photographed by USAF Tech Sgt. Richard Freeland on 15 April 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm 3. USAF B-1B Lancer bomber with a Prandtl-Glauert Condensation Cloud photographed in Southwest Asia by USAF Staff Sgt. Shelley R. Gill on 16 January 2004. Via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20041216.htm 4. B-2 Spirit, BUFF, and BONE photographed by USAF...

1. B-2 Spirit stealth heavy bomber (left), B-52 Stratofortress heavy bomber (center), B-1B Lancer supersonic heavy bomber (right) fly in formation on 10 May 2008 for the 75th Anniversary of Barksdale AFB celebration. Large or medium photo via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm (photo 12). 2. And here's the B-52 Stratofortress (left) and the B-2 Spirit (right) flying in formation on 10 May 2008. Large or medium or huge photo via http://chamorrobible.org/gpw/gpw-20051129.htm (photo 11). The Photographer United States Air Force Staff Sgt. Samuel E. Rogers, 1st Fighter Wing Public Affairs, Langley Air Force Base