Boeing B-1B Lancer

The B-1B is an improved variant of the B-1A, which was cancelled in 1977, and the program was revived in 1981, with the first production model flying in 1984 and delivery to the Air Force in 1985. Its blended wing and body configuration, variable-geometry design, and turbofan engines give it great range and high speed of more than 900 miles per hour at sea level. Forward wing settings are used for takeoff, landings, and high-altitude maximum cruise, while swept wing settings are used for high subsonic and supersonic flight and also improve maneuverability. Officially named Lancer, it is more commonly called the Bone, from B-one. It has three internal bays capable of carrying a variety of weapons, including up to 84 500-pound Mk 82 general-purpose bombs or 24 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions. Its specifications include wings swept to 79 feet, wings forward to 137 feet, a length of 146 feet, a height of 34 feet, a service ceiling of more than 30,000 feet, intercontinental range, and four General Electric F101-GE-102 turbofan engines producing more than 30,000 pounds of thrust each engine with afterburner. B-1Bs arrived at Robins Air Force Base in 1996 when the Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Bomb Wing relocated from Dobbins AirReserve Base, Georgia, to Robins. The 116th was one of two Air National Guard units to operate the B-1B. The B-1Bs later left Robins, and the 116th Bomb Wing merged with the active-duty 93rd Air Control Wing to become the 116 Air Control Wing, which operates the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or Joint STARS, and combines Guard and active-duty Airmen in a single unit.

Georgia · United States