USAF considers mounting hypersonic missiles on B-1B ‘Lancer’

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To reduce the work required to modify the USAF's B-52s, another 'Cold War' bomber, the B-1B 'Lancer,' is also being modified to test hypersonic missiles.

“Everything’s been gutted. There’s no more wiring going out there. We actually stuffed stuff in there so you couldn’t put a pylon in … and we’ve had to work around” says Joe Stupic, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s senior material leader for the B-1. “There’s still this structure where we can put a pylon … but there’s no more wire, no more power, no more cruise missile control box. It’s all ripped out," he added.

However, work is in progress to reverse this. For example, the USAF has already conducted ground and vibration testing using the towers and dropped Joint Direct Attack Munitions from them. For example, the aircraft has been fitted with a GBU-72 Advanced 5K penetrator bomb to simulate the weight and size of a hypersonic weapon, like the AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon.

There are also some other options being considered by the USAF too. In 2020, for example, The USAF demonstrated an external captive-carry of a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile on a forward hardpoint that is usually used for a targeting pod. They have also tested carrying the munitions internally within the B-1B.However, the USAF has not decided on a specific date to retire the B-1 and B-2 fleets as they introduce the Northrop Grumman B-21 "Raider.

 

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