B-1 bomber rises from the ‘Boneyard’ to rejoin the Air Force’s fleet

[rangerrebew]

B-1 bomber rises from the ‘Boneyard’ to rejoin the Air Force’s fleet
By Courtney Mabeus-Brown and Zamone Perez
 Apr 26, 11:25 AM
 
A previously retired B-1B Lancer bomber, nicknamed “Lancelot,” touches down at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, Feb. 8, 2024. (Clayton Cummins/Air Force)

After a yearslong sabbatical in the desert, a retired B-1B Lancer will soon rejoin the Air Force’s bomber fleet.

The aircraft, nicknamed “Lancelot,” is slated to replace another B-1 bomber whose engine exploded during routine maintenance at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in April 2022. The accident caused more than $15 million in damages and sent an airman to a hospital with minor injuries, according to an Air Force investigation.
 
The B-1 is a supersonic bomber capable of carrying conventional weapons; the first was delivered to the Air Force in 1985. The service has 45 Lancers in the fleet, down from its original inventory of 100.

 https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2024/04/26/b-1-bomber-rises-from-the-boneyard-to-rejoin-the-air-forces-fleet/

[DefiantMassRINO]

I read somewhere that the B-1B's Achille's Heel was a weak airframe.

Since it was orginally designed to be a long-range strategic (nuclear) bomber, they gave it an airframe that was adequate for a few, long, high altitude missions.  The B-1B's use as a tactical bomber and for close troop support stressed its airframe more, and in ways, it wasn't designed to accomodate.  Frequent lower altitude missions casued the airframe to age out early.

If the B-1B had a durable airframe like the B-52 and the B-2, it would have a longer service life.