Reagan Era B-1B Still Relevant Today

A US Air Force bomber first envisioned in the 1960s and produced in the 1980s,the Rockwell B-1B Lancer,saved from oblivion by President Ronald Reagan,remains an integral part of US Strategic Command,and will be for decades.Highly controversial for its cost and questions about its utility early in its life,it has proved much more valuable than many ever thought it would be. Indeed,the B-1B is the only supersonic bomber in the US inventory today,with the biggest payload.What is more,it is the cheapest to fly,even given the extensive maintenance and upgrades it requires. Capable of flying at Mach 1.25 at altitude,or 950 mph/1130 kmh,it was originally solely a nuclear bomber.By the 1990s,it had been given a conventional role as well.In 1995,it was removed from the nuclear forces. Though not technically a stealth aircraft,it is about fifty times less detectable than the ancient B-52 and features variable-sweep wings.Forward sweep is for takeoff,landing and high altitude maximum cruise.Aft sweep is for high subsonic and supersonic flight. The Lancer is still getting upgrades to its cockpit displays,communications and instrumentation.It holds 61 world records for such things as speed,payload,distance and climb rate.It can strike anywhere in the world and safely return to a broad variety of bases without refueling.Extensive electronic countermeasures,reflective coating and stealthy intake design make it highly survivable. The B-1B has been extensively used for missions in the Iraq and Afghan Wars,as well as in Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya in 2011;Operation Desert Fox in 1998;and Kosovo in 1999.In the Afghan War,it has been used in an armed overwatch capacity,loitering in flight until tasked by ground forces for precision strike with advanced munitions. The Air Force intends to fly the Lancer into the 2030s,gradually replacing it with the Next-Generation Bomber.It believes the B-1B is particularly well-suited for the new Pivot to East Asia strategy,given its long range,speed and survivability.It will continue to invest in this reliable aircraft in support of Pacific and other strategic objectives.

The Navy's Electronic Attack Aircraft Transition

The US Navy's successor to the EA-6B Prowler electronic attack aircraft,the EA-18G Growler,had passed the production halfway point as of October 2011 and has continued to move forward this year.The Navy will procure a total of 109 of the advanced jets.The Growlers provide better connectivity to other military assets and accurate hostile emitter targeting for onboard suppression weapons.There will be 10 carrier-based Growler squadrons,as well as three active and one Reserve expeditionary squadrons.
The Growler production team says the aircraft is the dominant electronic force for the joint warfighter,having full-spectrum electronic attack capability.With its advanced jamming pods and communication countermeasures receiver sets,it can penetrate complex layers of air defense and communication systems.It suppresses threats over land and water with anti-radiation missiles including the AGM-88B/C HARM and the new AGM-88E AARGM,protecting the joint warfighter anywhere.The aircraft saw action in the Iraq War,as well as Operations Odyssey Dawn and Uphold Protector over Libya in 2011.Raytheon,Northrop Grumman,General Electric and Boeing comprise the EA-18G Growler production team.
Boeing(BA),Northrop Grumman(NOC),General Electric(GE),Raytheon(RTN)