Repairing Broken Bones
By John A. Tirpak
Jan. 25, 2021
A smaller fleet, fatigue tests and continuous depot repairs should keep B-1s flying until the B-21 joins the force.
The Air Force expects to have enough money, spare parts, and maintainers to keep its B-1B bombers flying safely until they are replaced by the B-21—due largely to Congress allowing USAF to retire 17 of the most problem-prone Bones. But the service is well behind on structural fatigue tests meant to better understand life-limiting cracks and stress on B-1 airframes, so there could be surprises ahead.
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act clears the way for the Air Force to reduce the B-1 fleet from 62 aircraft to 45. If the B-21 delivers on schedule, enough should be on hand by 2030 to 2036 to retire the rest of the B-1s.
The Air Force has pushed since September 2019 to shed its most-worn B-1s, saying it would use the savings to keep the remainder of the fleet ready for action. Parts shortages and structural and systematic problems have driven the B-1’s mission capable numbers to single digits in recent years.
https://www.airforcemag.com/article/repairing-broken-bones/
