The Air Force Has Grounded Its B-1B Bomber Fleet For The Second Time In A Year
The service says that this new parachute-related issue is unrelated to the incident that prompted the stand-down in operations last year.
By Joseph TrevithickMarch 28, 2019
The U.S. Air Force has ground its B-1B Bone bomber fleet for the second time in less than a year over problems with the aircraft's emergency egress system. This is this time has to do with how the drogue parachutes that stabilize the plane's ejection seats if the crew has to punch out.
Air Force Global Strike Command, which oversees all of the service's bombers, including the B-1Bs, ordered the "safety stand-down" on Mar. 28, 2019, after uncovering the issue in at least one bomber assigned to an unspecified unit. There is no indication as yet as to how many Bones actually have a problem or how long it be before the fleet get flying again.
This is the full statement from the command on the grounding order:
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/27198/the-air-force-has-grounded-its-b-1b-bomber-fleet-for-the-second-time-in-a-year
