Similar
B-52/Pegasus with X-43A departing on first captive flight.
SGT. Paul W. Harrison, 96th Organizational Maintenance Squadron crew chief, communicates with the pilot of a B-1B bomber aircraft before giving him the signal to taxi out and takeoff
An aerial of a US Navy (USN) F-14A Tomcat from the Fighter Squadron 51 (VF-51), Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar. (Exact date shot unknown)
An air-to-air left side view of an SR-71A aircraft
A C-5 Galaxy aircraft from the 436th Military Squadron takes off for the United States. US troops, including members of the 7th Light Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, spent two weeks participating in a mobilization of US Exercise Task Force DRAGON/GOLDEN PHEASANT. The task force was deployed by President Ronald Reagan to help discourage Nicaraguan forces from entering Honduras
An air to air right underside view of a US Navy F-14D Tomcat from Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31), Naval Air Station Miramar, Calif., equipped with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile as it flies a close air support mission during the annual air defense exercise
An air-to-air right side view of the first C-5 Galaxy aircraft to be painted in a camouflage pattern
A left side view of an RF-48 Phantom II aircraft from Marine Photoreconnaissance Squadron 3 (VMFP-3) taxiing out from the flight line
A U-2 Dragon Lady prepares to land at Joint Base Pearl
Related
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
An air-to-air front view of the first operational B-1B bomber aircraft
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer aircraft assigned to the
An air-to-air front view of the first operational B-1B bomber aircraft
The first B-1B aircraft in the Strategic Air Command inventory arrives at the base
Summary
The original finding aid described this photograph as:
Base: Offutt Air Force Base
State: Nebraska (NE)
Country: United States Of America (USA)
Scene Camera Operator: A1C Blade H. Smithee
Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files
B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber built by Rockwell and used by the United States Air Force. It is commonly called the "Bone" (from "B-One"). It is one of three strategic bombers in the U.S. Air Force fleet as of 2018, the other two being the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress. The B-1 was first envisioned in the 1960s as a platform that would combine the Mach 2 speed with the range and payload of the B-52. After a long series of studies, Rockwell International (now part of Boeing) won the design contest for what emerged as the B-1A. This version had a top speed of Mach 2.2 at high altitude and the capability of flying for long distances at Mach 0.85 at very low altitudes. The introduction of cruise missiles and early work on the stealth bombers led to the program being canceled in 1977. The program was restarted in 1981, largely as an interim measure due to delays in the B-2 stealth bomber program, with the B-2 eventually reaching initial operational capability in 1997. This led to a redesign as the B-1B, which differed from the B-1A by having a lower top speed at a high altitude of Mach 1.25, but improved low-altitude performance of Mach 0.96. The electronics were also extensively improved during the redesign, and the airframe was improved to allow takeoff with the maximum possible fuel and weapons load. The B-1B began deliveries in 1986 and formally entered service with Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a nuclear bomber in that same year. By 1988, all 100 aircraft had been delivered. Originally designed for nuclear capabilities, the B-1 switched to an exclusively conventional combat role in the mid-1990s.