SMART BOMBS: MILITARY, DEFENSE AND NATIONAL SECURITYThe B-1B ‘Lancer’ Bomber Is Now A Serious BEAST
ByPeter SuciuPublished12 seconds ago
A B-1B Lancer, tail number 86-0094, is moved across Douglas Blvd. to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Technology Center (MROTC) to receive an initial portion of Gate 1 of programmed depot maintenance April 21. 567th AMXS personnel will perform three days of maintenance which include single system checks on 40 individual actuators validating voltage outputs as well as interrogating each actuator for hydraulic leaks. After single systems are completed, the horizontal stabilizers will be removed from the aircraft. This is the first time that horizontal stabilizers have ever been removed at the MROTC. Once complete, the aircraft and horizontal stabilizers will be brought back across Douglas to the 569th AMXS strip facility for plastic media blasting. Once stripped, the horizontal stabilizers will be routed to the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group for overhaul and repairs. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kelly White)A B-1B Lancer, tail number 86-0094, is moved across Douglas Blvd. to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Technology Center (MROTC) to receive an initial portion of Gate 1 of programmed depot maintenance April 21. 567th AMXS personnel will perform three days of maintenance which include single system checks on 40 individual actuators validating voltage outputs as well as interrogating each actuator for hydraulic leaks. After single systems are completed, the horizontal stabilizers will be removed from the aircraft. This is the first time that horizontal stabilizers have ever been removed at the MROTC. Once complete, the aircraft and horizontal stabilizers will be brought back across Douglas to the 569th AMXS strip facility for plastic media blasting. Once stripped, the horizontal stabilizers will be routed to the 76th Commodities Maintenance Group for overhaul and repairs. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kelly White)
The U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer is set to fly off into retirement in the coming decade. But for now, the old warbird is still a critical part of the Bomber Task Force. Last month, the first of the aging bombers received what could be its final significant update.
On Sept. 8, the 7th Bomb Wing’s first B-1 Embracing Agile Scheduling Team (BEAST) B-1B Lancer took its first flight from Dyess Air Force Base, marking a new era of lethality for the venerable aircraft. The BEAST was designed to shorten the fielding of each system, preserve aircraft availability, and ensure compliance with federal government aviation directives.
Over the next two years, 22 more B-1Bs will be modernized at Dyess, one aircraft at a time.
“BEAST modernizes the aircraft’s avionics systems and gives it life and lethality out to 2040 and beyond,” said Col. Joshua Pope, 7th Maintenance Group commander.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/10/the-b-1b-lancer-bomber-is-now-a-serious-beast/
