In the next few years, the U.S. Air Force will say goodbye to the B-1 Lancer. The venerable bomber, known affectionately as the “Bone,” will be phased out, alongside the B-2 Spirit, in favor of the forthcoming B-21 Raider. But the B-1 will be difficult to replace, at least with respect to its specifications, which are impressive on paper. Although, in an era where air defense systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the non-stealth B-1’s ability to survive behind enemy lines has become imperiled, reducing the value of the strategic bomber in future conflicts against capable nation-states.

Fast and heavy

Among the three strategic bombers in the U.S. Air Force inventory (B-1, B-2, and B-52), the B-1 has several stand-out features. First, the B-1 is the fastest bomber in the stable; while the B-2 and B-52 are limited to subsonic speeds (comparable to the commercial airliner you might take from Newark to O’Hare), the B-1 is capable of breaking the sound barrier with a top speed of Mach 1.2, or 900 miles per hour.

Second, the B-1 has the largest payload capacity. At a glance, you might expect the B-52, with its eight engines, to be able to carry a heftier payload than any of its contemporaries. But it’s the B-1 that earns the distinction with a 75,000-pound capacity (the B-52 can carry 70,000 pounds of ordnance). The B-1, along with the ability to carry a massive payload capacity, has the ability to carry a diverse payload capacity; the B-1 can handle guided and unguided weapons, bombs, and missiles—and can even handle nuclear weapons, including the B61, B83, and AGM-69 SRAM. Fortunately, the B-1 (nor any airframe currently in service) has ever been called upon to drop nuclear ordnance. But the B-1’s ability to do so offers the United States a strategic advantage through a more diverse and versatile nuclear option.

Three, the B-1 is the only bomber (and the last remaining airframe, period) to feature sweep wings. The sweep-wing feature is exactly what it sounds like: wings that can sweep back and forth. The advantage of sweep wings is the ability to change the shape of the aircraft mid-flight, hence changing the aircraft’s flight characteristics. In short, wings swept back reduces drag and increases speed; wings swept forward increases drag, reduces speed, and increases stability and lift. The result is an airframe that is more versatile and comfortable in different roles and attitudes.

Saying goodbye

Yet the B-1, for all its technological advantages, was not designed with stealth features. That was fine in the 1970s when the B-1 airframe was designed and when air defense systems were more porous and less sensitive—when brute speed could solve a lot of problems. But as the Pentagon looks ahead to potential future conflicts, with air defense systems far more sophisticated than those the B-1 encountered in operations against Iraq or Afghanistan, the B-1’s effectiveness is likely to be reduced.

The B-1 is expected to be phased out sometime before 2035, ending what will have been an admirable half-century service record. 

Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken. 

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