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A B-1B Lancer valued at more than $450 million that crashed in South Dakota at the start of this year missed the runway by 100 feet, a mistake accident investigators attributed to the aircrew's shortcomings as well as the poor training culture within units at Ellsworth Air Force Base. The scathing crash investigation report shared with Military.com pointed to "failure to perform standard crew resource management," along with adverse weather conditions, ineffective flying operations supervision, lack of awareness, and "an unhealthy organizational culture that permitted degradation of airmanship skills" as contributing factors in the Jan. 4 crash. (Snip) The report...

A B-1 Lancer bomber crash landed in South Dakota on Thursday, forcing the entire crew to eject during a training mission. The crash landing took place at 5:50 p.m. at Ellsworth Air Force Base during a training exercise. The 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth said that the accident happened while the plane was “attempting to land on the installation. At the time of the accident, it was on a training mission. There were four aircrew on board. All four ejected safely.” There were reportedly poor winter weather conditions at the time of the crash, which is still being investigated by...

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.

The US Air Force ordered immediate inspections of its entire fleet of B-1 bombers Thursday over safety concerns related to its "drogue chute system" which is used to right the aircraft's ejection seat prior to the seat's main parachute deploying. While none of the planes are being allowed to fly, the order is technically not an official grounding of the fleet, as each individual aircraft will be allowed to immediately return to flying operations upon inspection. "The safety stand-down will afford maintenance and Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians the necessary time to thoroughly inspect each aircraft," the Air Force's Global Strike...

The Air Force on Thursday grounded its fleet of B-1B Lancers to inspect the conventional bombers’ ejection systems after discovering a parachute rigging problem during a routine inspection, the service announced in a statement. Air Force technicians will inspect all 62 of the service’s B-1B aircraft during the stand down, said Air Force Capt. Earon Brown, a spokesman for Air Force Global Strike Command. The jets will be returned to flying status on a rolling basis as they are inspected and any issues are resolved, he said. The stand down marks the second such grounding of the Air Force B-1B...

Beijing denounces U.S. B-1B bomber flight over South China Sea By Elizabeth Shim Contact the Author | July 7, 2017 at 9:27 AM July 7 (UPI) -- China issued a warning after two U.S. B-1B bombers took part in a joint drill with Japan in the East China Sea, then flew over the South China Sea. Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters at a regular press briefing on Friday that China is "adamantly opposed to acts that undermine China's sovereignty," South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. China claims sovereignty over nearly the entire South China Sea, a claim...

As most of you have read or seen by now, a journalist and NBC/MSNBC media consultant named William “Bill” Arkin has created quite a stir by viciously insulting American soldiers in Iraq. He wrote at his Washington Post blog, “Early Warning: William M. Arkin on National and Homeland Security” column (1/30/07), that “… this NBC (Nightly News) report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer force that thinks it is doing the dirty work” re Iraq. The “report,” according to Arkin, featured “a number of soldiers (who) expressed frustration with...

... As the ice and snow fell on March 27, two B-1s took off during a snow and ice storm. The two bombers flew east across the United States and over international waters. Flying with the wind, the jets required four mid-air refuelings to reach Libya. Hart said the crews flew over water after leaving the U.S. "Whenever we fly a military aircraft over another country's airspace you need a diplomatic clearance," Hart said. "The clearances take time we didn't have, and there's less visibility if you're not flying over someone's country." After dropping the first wave of bombs, the...

9:40 p.m. Guam - Air Force officials are investigating the collision of a B-1 Bomber with emergency vehicles on the taxiway up at Andersen Air Force Base. Air Force Spokesman Capt. Joel Stark confirms that the B-1 Bomber was in transit from Singapore to Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota and had landed at AAFB for an inflight emergency. Capt. Stark couldn't disclose what the emergency was but did say the B-1 Bomber apparently had rolled while on the taxiway and collided into the vehicles just after 12 p.m. Friday. Capt. Stark says there were no injuries since the crew...

A spokesperson for the US Air Force Central Public Affairs Office, South West Asia, said: “The US Air Force B-1, while taxiing after landing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, was involved in a ground incident and caught fire at 21.10 local time on April 4. “The crew evacuated the aircraft and is safe. The fire was contained. A board of inquiry has been appointed and will investigate the incident.” At the time of going to print, officials in Qatar were not confirming the incident and the Air Force Public Affairs Office was looking into local reports that a number...

Reporting it crashed at a military base. No further details.

22:08 Al-Jazeera: U.S. B52 bomber explodes on landing at Qatar base (DPA)

Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops troops in Afghanistan during operations June 20, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here. In Afghanistan, an Air Force B-1B Lancer released guided bomb unit-31s and 38s on anti-coalition firing positions near Shkin. An on-scene joint terminal attack controller called all bombs good hits. In Sangin, Navy F/A-18 Hornets fired 20mm cannon rounds on several insurgents leaving a compound. Because of collateral damage considerations, the JTAC requested a strafe run on the tree line. The JTAC confirmed the rounds hit the intended targets....

Preparations are well under way for the Valley's premier aviation event - the Edwards Air Force Base Open House and Air Show. The free two-day event is set for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 28 and 29, at the base that has been home to flight testing nearly every aircraft in the Air Force inventory - past, present and future. That heritage is reflected in the event's theme - "The Edwards' Edge: Making History, Reaching New Heights." This year's festivities also will honor the 60th anniversary of the Air Force, one of the first official events to do so. Headlining the...

Lola Tipton of Lancaster remembers meeting a very handsome Ronald Reagan in 1937, a man who introduced himself as "Dutch." GOP politico Frank Visco, an invited guest at Reagan's White House, is mourning the man he calls "a father figure." And Jeremy Giampietro, a 24-year-old Highland High School graduate, will help carry his casket at today's burial in Simi Valley. Antelope Valley residents are dwelling on memories this week of Ronald Wilson Reagan, especially those who met the 40th president on one of his several trips to the Valley. Reagan visited the Valley in the 1960s, for a tour of...

With its combination of long range, high speed and large weapons payload, the B-1 bomber is proving to be a valuable asset during the air campaign over Iraq, according to members of the 405th Air Expeditionary Wing who fly the aircraft. The B-1 has demonstrated its flexibility by flying a number of missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, members of the 405th AEW said during a Pentagon teleconference with reporters this week."We are hitting a wide range of targets," wing commander Col. James Kowalski said March 25 from an undisclosed location in the Central Command area of responsibility. "[We're hitting] suppression...