Gotta love the use of language: “Maximum carriage of existing standoff munitions on the B-1B provides a near-term solution to fill the operational need to increase volume of fires from standoff ranges to close existing combatant command gaps,” the document added. “This increased volume serves to mitigate transition risk of the Air Force bomber fleet prior to the emergence of the B-21 as a combat-capable bomber.”
---------------------------------------- *From: *David Wardell via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> *To: *mifnet@lists.mifnet.com *CC: *dward...@mifnet.com *Date: *Jul 15, 2025 05:52:46 *Subject: *[Mifnet 🛰 73088] Boeing Just Won a Major Contract for the B-1B Lancer Bomber - The National Interest 20250712 > https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/boeing-just-won-major-contract-b-1b-lancer-bomber-ps >  > > This week, aerospace giant Boeing was awarded a new contract to produce > external pylons that will enable the United States Air Force’s fleet of > Rockwell B-1B Lancer bombers to carry heavier and more versatile ordnance. > The Large Adaptable > Modular[https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/b-1b-lancer-bomber-tests-new-weapon-pylons-bigger-payloads-212317] > (LAM) pylons, which have been under development for several years, are > expected to increase the bomber’s payload capacity by as much as 50 percent. > “Thank you, @USAirForce, for selecting us to deliver Load Adaptable Modular > (LAM) pylons for your B-1 fleet. The LAM pylons will bring new capabilities > and allow the B-1 to continue to adapt to evolving needs,” Boeing Defense > posted on X[https://x.com/BoeingDefense/status/1943039167300034975] (formerly > Twitter) on Wednesday. > “Our team identified an opportunity to help the U.S. Air Force achieve their > mission even more effectively,” said Troy Dawson, Vice President of Bombers > Development. “They found a creative and innovative way to get new capability > to the warfighter to stay ahead of current and emerging threats. They helped > ensure the B-1 will be a key part of the U.S. bomber force for decades to > come.” > The B-1B Lancer is on track to be retired in the mid-2030s, as the Northrop > Grumman B-21 Raider enters service. However, to ensure that the Air Force > isn’t left with diminished capabilities should the Raider program be delayed, > the service has continued to make improvements to the B-1B, including its > payload capacity. > “The B-1B external heavy-stores pylon program provides increased carriage > capacity of standoff munitions on B-1B aircraft,” the US Air Force’s Fiscal > Year 2026 (FY26) budget proposal’s Justification Book > explained[https://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/Portals/84/documents/FY26/FY26%20Air%20Force%20Aircraft%20Procurement%20Vol%20II.pdf]. > “Maximum carriage of existing standoff munitions on the B-1B provides a > near-term solution to fill the operational need to increase volume of fires > from standoff ranges to close existing combatant command gaps,” the document > added. “This increased volume serves to mitigate transition risk of the Air > Force bomber fleet prior to the emergence of the B-21 as a combat-capable > bomber.” > The B-1 was initially designed to carry external weapons, but the document > noted that that capability was removed in order to improve the supersonic > bomber’s aerodynamics. However, the Lancer can still be retrofitted with six > pylons, each capable of carrying two 2,000-pound-class weapons or a single > 5,000-pound-plus-class weapon. The pylons could also allow the Lancer to > serve as a test bed for even more advanced air-launched weapons, though this > has not been attempted yet. > “The Air Force intends to use the B-1 and pylons to test hypersonic weapons > in the near term,” Boeing > explained.[https://onfirstup.com/boeing/BNN/articles/b-1-increases-its-standing-within-the-us-air-force?bypass_deeplink=true] > When combined with the internal bomb bays and pylons, the bomber can carry > up to 31 hypersonic weapons, including the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile > (HACM), making it a highly capable warbird. > The LAM pylons underwent evaluation, including ground and initial flight > testing, with the US Air Force’s 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base > (AFB). The tests “validated the pylon’s design and functionality,” according > to Boeing. Still, testing will continue to ensure that the Air Force’s > remaining fleet of B-1s can be outfitted with the necessary pylons. > “The LAM Pylon will start a new chapter in the B-1’s story,” added Dan Ruder, > Bombers Advanced Programs manager. “It will expand its role in the Air > Force’s future operational capabilities.” > There are currently just 42 Rockwell B-1Bs in service, but according to The > War > Zone[https://www.twz.com/air/b-1b-to-finally-get-new-external-pylons-drastically-expanding-missile-carriage-potential], > the Air Force has called for two retired aircraft to be restored to service, > bringing the Air Force’s total fleet to 44 bombers. > Still, as the bomber enters its twilight years, it has seen its share of > mishaps. One of the Air Force’s B-1Bs crashed while > landing[https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/b-1-lancer-us-air-force-bomber-just-crashed-complete-history-warplane-208371/] > at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, in early 2024. Two years earlier, a fire > broke out on a B-1 assigned to the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas. > /Peter Suciu[https://nationalinterest.org/profile/peter-suciu]/ /has/ > /contributed[https://news.clearancejobs.com/author/peter-suciu/]/ /over 3,200 > published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a > thirty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military > hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international > affairs. Peter is also a/ /Contributing > Writer[https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/?sh=2a2f53789bd3]/ /for Forbes > and/ /Clearance Jobs[https://www.clearancejobs.com/]//. He is based in > Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter:/ > /@PeterSuciu[https://twitter.com/petersuciu]//. You can email the author:/ > /edi...@nationalinterest.org//./ >  > >  > >  > > *David Wardell* > (757) 561-0582 > da...@wardell.org > [Image][Image > link][cid:image001.png@01DBF511.D77C7A70][https://wardell.us/url/b5s86] > [Image][Image > link][cid:image002.png@01DBF511.D77C7A70][https://wardell.us/url/s9qvz] >  > >  >
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