Some new roles have been assigned to the B-1B Lancer supersonic bomber.The plane,capable of low altitude strike to evade enemy air defences,originated in the 1980s under the Reagan administration,when it was seen as part of the nuclear deterrent.Its nuclear capability was removed in the 1990s in accordance with an arms control agreement with Russia,replaced by racks for conventional weapons.
The B-1 was a mainstay for NATO forces during the Afghan War at its height and went on to serve brilliantly in Operation Inherent Resolve,destroying hundreds of Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria.*
In June 2018,Lancers from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base,South Dakota,conducted the first combat use of the Extended Range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (ERJASSM) against Assad regime chemical weapons facilities in Syria.In July of that year,Ellsworth became the first AFB to train with the new Lockheed Martin AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).The B-1B has achieved Early Operational Capability (EOC) with the missile.Former Ellsworth Commander COL John Edwards told the Rapid City Journal:
We've seen that shift with a little bit more emphasis in what we call the 'standoff strike role',where we fire those really long-distance missiles against an enemy,whether it's a ship,whether it's a mass destruction facility,or whether it's a headquarters building.And we do that because those weapons reduce the risk to our crew.Our air crews don't have to fly as close to a lot of those targets,which are heavily defended at times.*
Ellsworth will be the first AFB to host the new B-21 Raider strategic bomber in the mid-2020s.It was selected on 29 March 2019 as the preferred location for the first operational B-21 and the formal training unit.Whiteman Air Force Base,Missouri and Dyess Air Force Base,Texas will receive B-21s as they become available.With the arrival of B-21s,the B-1B and B-2 Spirit bombers will be phased out incrementally.The B-52s,however,will continue to serve until 2050.
Air Force Chief of Staff GEN Michael Goldfein explained:
The B-21 is a highly survivable aircraft capable of penetrating enemy air space with a mix of weapons.It is a central point of a penetrating joint team.*
BAE Systems produces the multimodal sensor of the LRASM.According to Bruce Koningsberg,Radio Frequency Sensors product area director at BAE:
Our sensor systems provide US warfighters with a strike capability that lets them engage protected,high-value maritime targets from safe distances.The missile provides a critical advantage to US warfighters.*
The BAE long-range targeting technology enables detection and engagement of highly protected ships in all weather conditions and 24/7,without external intelligence and navigation data.Early Operational Capability for the LRASM on the US Navy FA/18E-F Super Hornet is expected in 2019.The US Marine Corps is also interested in a land-based version of a LRASM.*
The B-1B is getting a new targeting system to increase its capability in Non-Traditional Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaissance (NTISR) as well as precision strike.Tests of a new targeting pod are underway.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT),BAE SYS PLC/S ADR OTC MKTS:BAESY
