History
The Bone
The Rockwell B-1 Lancer[b] is a supersonic variable-sweep wing heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the “Bone” (from “B-One”).[2][3] As of 2026, it is one of the U.S. Air Force’s three strategic bombers, along with the B-2 Spirit and the B-52 Stratofortress. It carries up to a 75,000-pound (34,000 kg) payload.[4]
The B-1 was first envisioned in the 1960s as a bomber that would combine the Mach 2 speed of the B-58 Hustler with the range and payload of the B-52, ultimately replacing both. After a long series of studies, North American Rockwell (subsequently renamed Rockwell International, B-1 division, later acquired by Boeing) won the design contest for what emerged as the B-1A. Prototypes of this version could fly Mach 2.2 at high altitude and long distances and at Mach 0.85 at very low altitudes. The program was canceled in 1977 due to its high cost, the introduction of the AGM-86 cruise missile that flew the same basic speed and distance, and early work on the B-2 stealth bomber.
The program was restarted in 1981, largely as an interim measure due to delays in the B-2 stealth bomber program. The B-1A design was altered, reducing top speed to Mach 1.25 at high altitude, increasing low-altitude speed to Mach 0.92, extensively improving electronic components, and upgrading the airframe to carry more fuel and weapons. Named the B-1B, deliveries of the new variant began in 1985; the plane formally entered service with Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a nuclear bomber the following year. By 1988, all 100 aircraft had been delivered.
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