Key Points and Summary – The B-1B Lancer’s history is a story of “rebirth.”
-The original Mach 2.2 B-1A was canceled by President Carter in 1977 due to high costs.
B-1B Lancer Bomber U.S. Air Force Display. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
-President Reagan revived it in 1981 as the B-1B, a slower (Mach 1.25) but stealthier nuclear penetrator, and 100 were built.
-After the Cold War, its nuclear mission was “stripped” under the START treaty.
-The “Bone” was “reinvented” as a conventional bomber, becoming an “invaluable” workhorse that delivered massive JDAM payloads in Iraq and Afghanistan, proving its flexibility and extending its life decades beyond its original purpose.
-Bonus: This piece includes photos from our visit with a B-1B Lancer bomber at the U.S. Air Force Museum.
The Rebirth of the B-1B Lancer
Few aircraft illustrate the turbulence of Cold War defense planning as clearly as the B-1B Lancer.
Originally conceived as a high-speed nuclear bomber to replace the aging B-52, it was canceled in the late 1970s, revived under President Ronald Reagan, and then later reinvented as one of America’s most effective conventional strike platforms.
Once derided as a relic of the past, the “Bone”—as it was known to aircrews—became a vital workhorse during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The B-1B’s story is unique in many ways.
Still, it also mirrors the evolution of American strategic doctrine: it went from being a nuclear deterrence asset to a solution for precision conventional warfare.
And its journey from a canceled project to a combat-tested aircraft that remained useful for years longer than initially anticipated is a testament to how creativity can extend the useful life of high-value assets.
The B-1A Program
By the late 1960s, the U.S. Air Force was looking for a replacement for the B-52 Stratofortress amid rising concerns about Soviet air defense networks.
North American Rockwell began work on what became the B-1A – a supersonic strategic bomber capable of flying at Mach 2.2 and penetrating defenses at low altitude using variable-sweep wings.
The B-1A was in every way a technological marvel for its time. It featured four General Electric F101 afterburning turbofan engines, advanced avionics, and some of the earliest radar-absorbing materials ever tested on a bomber.
But the aircraft’s costs quickly ballooned, and advances in intercontinental ballistic missiles and stealth technology began to render the plane—and its mission—redundant.
By 1977, only four prototypes had been built, and President Jimmy Carter canceled the program, opting instead to pursue air-launched cruise missiles and the stealth-focused Advanced Technology Bomber – which would ultimately become the B-2 Spirit.
Reagan Revives the B-1
Four years later, the strategic landscape changed all over again. The Reagan administration launched a significant defense buildup under the “peace through strength” doctrine, seeking to deter the Soviet Union with visible force.
In 1981, Reagan revived the B-1 program, but with some significant modifications.
The resulting B-1B was quite different. It was slower, maxing out at Mach 1.25. It was, however, stealthier and optimized for low-altitude penetration.
Engineers reduced its radar cross-section using blended airframe shaping and radar-absorbent materials, while also reinforcing its structure for sustained, low-altitude flight.
The design and purpose of this aircraft changed substantially, making it a truly unique platform.
Production began in 1983, and between 1985 and 1988, Rockwell built 100 of the aircraft. The first one entered service in 1986 with the Strategic Air Command.
The Reagan-era B-1 was designed to carry B61 and B83 nuclear gravity bombs and short-range attack missiles—and it was these capabilities that made the Lancer a perfect balance between payload and stealth.
It was capable of delivering up to 75,000 pounds of ordnance, it was stealthy, and it was still quick. This aircraft restored a sense of technological confidence to American bomber forces and paved the way for new platforms that were similarly unique.
Post-Cold War Reinvention
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 stripped the B-1B of its primary mission, leaving the platform once again without a purpose.
By the mid-1990s, its nuclear role was also eliminated under the START treaty, and the aircraft was soon converted for conventional use.
The Air Force removed all its nuclear wiring, added GPS-aided targeting systems, and integrated precision-guided munitions.
The upgrades – or retrofitting – transformed the Lancer into what it is now: a long-range strike bomber.
In 1998, the B-1B made its combat debut during Operation Desert Fox in Iraq, followed by action in Kosovo in 199, where it delivered precision strikes against Yugoslav targets.
The aircraft’s ability to carry large payloads of JDAM and cluster munitions made it uniquely suited to conventional bombing campaigns, and its purpose was thus restored.
Crews began to affectionately refer to the bomber as “the Bone” – a name derived from its “B-One” designation.
And soon, its reputation as a dependable multirole bomber began to grow. What started its life as a failed project was quickly becoming one of the most trusted assets in the U.S. Air Force’s arsenal.
But it was after the September 11 attacks that the Lancer became more active than ever. It was extensively deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq, becoming central to the U.S. Air Force’s long-range strike operations.
Its combination of speed, range, and payload allowed it to loiter for hours while providing precision firepower at the drop of a hat, supporting ground troops.
In the end, the B-1B’s flexibility is what made it invaluable. It could take off from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean or Al Udeid in Qatar, strike targets deep inside Afghanistan or Iraq, and return without refuelling.
National Security Journal Gets Close to the B-1B Lancer
B-1B Lancer Bomber in Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Image Credit: Harry J. Kazianis/National Security Journal.
B-1B Lancer 2025 National Security Journal. Image Credit: Harry J. Kazianis/NSJ.
B-1B Lancer at USAF Museum in July 2025. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
About the Author:
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. His latest book is The Truth Teller: RFK Jr. and the Case for a Post-Partisan Presidency.
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