A B-1B Lancer takes off from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, on April 11. The aircraft in the photo successfully underwent major repairs to its spine at McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas. (US Air Force/Staff Sgt. Joshua Hoskins)

B-1B Lancer Back in Service After ‘Backbone’ Repairs

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The B-1B repairs, originally scheduled to last a full year, were completed in only around eight months through the use of a “digital twin” to speed up planning.

The B-1B Lancer is officially considered the “backbone” of the United States Air Force’s long-range conventional bomber force. The Cold War-era bomber is noted for carrying the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons, and is capable of both low- and high-altitude strikes. Given its importance to the fleet, it is fitting that it is nicknamed the “Bone” (from “B-One”).

This week, the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFSTRAT-AIR) announced that a B-1B is set to return to service following surgery to its own “backbone.”

Keeping an Old Bone Flying

The US Air Force........

© The National Interest