LANCERS IN THE DEPOT

Combat Aircraft visits Tinker AFB to see how the USAF maintains its B-1B Lancer fleet, a type that attracts one of its biggest servicing bills.

B-1B serial 86-0102 on the PDM line nearing completion and ready for repainting.

ROCKWELL’S SWING WING B 1B Lancer bomber hasn’t had an easy life. The original B-1 program was cancelled by President Carter in 1977, then reinstated in reduced quantities by President Reagan four years later as the B-1B, and it’s gained a reputation for being a very complex beast. But the type has proved to be enduring and will have racked up some 50 years of service by the time it’s retired around 2036.

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