B-1 Bombers Out of Mix for US Campaigns in Iraq, Syria | DoD Buzz

B-1 Lancer bombers will be out of the mix indefinitely for the air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the top air commander in the region said Thursday. Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said that the four-engine B-1s, especially valued for their…

B-1 Lancer bombers will be out of the mix indefinitely for the air campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the top air commander in the region said Thursday.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said that the four-engine B-1s, especially valued for their long-range capabilities and heavy bomb loads of precision-guided munitions, had been rotated back to the U.S. for upgrades, mainly to their cockpits.

via www.dodbuzz.com

It's interesting that the B-1B was largely seen by the Air Force as something of a dud in strategic service, and by the late 1990s, they were willing to start sending them to the boneyard. But the introduction of precision conventional munitions to the B-1B has instead turned it into one of the most desired strike/CAS platforms in the inventory.

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Responses to “B-1 Bombers Out of Mix for US Campaigns in Iraq, Syria | DoD Buzz”

  1. ron snyder

    I can see the B1 being used in a strike role. But CAS? Not sure I would trust any high altitude jet dropping ordy for CAS. Rotary and A-10’s are about the only platforms that I’ve heard the guys that have been there talk about.

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  2. Quartermaster

    The sue of PGMs from a B1 make all the difference in the world.
    I was not aware the B1 was regarded as a dud. I think the main thing that happened to the B1 was the B2.

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