A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., flies over the East China Sea on Jan. 9, 2018. USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Peter Reft.
Air Force Magazine: First of 17 B-1Bs Heads to the Boneyard
The first of 17 B-1B bombers to be retired this fiscal year under a Congressionally-approved divestiture plan flew to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on Feb. 17, Air Force Global Strike Command said.
The aircraft was based at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., but the Air Force did not provide specifics on which aircraft retired.
“This action will not affect the service’s lethality or any associated maintenance manpower,” AFGSC said in a press release.
It will allow a focus of maintenance and “depot-level manpower on the remaining aircraft, increasing readiness and paving the way for the bomber fleet modernization.”
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Update: Bye-bye Bone! USAF paving way for B-21, begins retirement of B-1 strategic bomber (Aviation Geek Club)
WNU Editor: Everyone is getting ready for its replacement .... Watch the skies in 2022 for the first B-21 bomber flight (Defense News).
