A B-1B Lancer bomber prepares to land at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, during a Bomber Task Force deployment in October 2020. The B-1B’s retirement has been delayed until 2037, allowing it to serve alongside the B-21 Raider for several years. (US Air Force/Tech. Sgt. David Owsianka)

The B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit Are Getting a Stay of Execution

Share this link on Facebook

Share this page on X (Twitter)

Share this link on LinkedIn

Share this page on Reddit

Email a link to this page

The Air Force had been intent on retiring America’s existing bombers by the early 2030s to make way for the upcoming B-21 Raider. Now it appears willing to wait.

The US Air Force is slowly backing away from plans to retire the B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit in the early 2030s. General Stephen Davis of Air Force Global Strike Command recently announced that the service now expects both strategic bombers to remain operational until at least 2037—giving the Air Force a backstop of a few extra years as the sixth-generation stealth bomber comes into service.

The Air Force’s new announcement represents a major change from the old plan, by which the B-1 and B-2 would retire as the B-21 Raider bomber entered service. 

It has long been understood that........

© The National Interest