Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Air Force is upgrading the B-1B Lancer with external Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylons, restoring hardpoints and adding up to ~45,000 lbs of extra ordnance capacity.
The Mission Is Simple – Funded at over $50M in the FY26 request, the effort aims to carry standoff weapons—including JASSM, ARRW, and HACM—keeping the B-1B relevant as a long-range missile carrier while the B-21 fields.
Crew Chief Senior Airman Mike Parks talks through his headset with the crew of a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber as they go through the pre-flight checklist at an air base in the Persian Gulf region on Dec. 10, 1998. The Lancer, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, is a multi-role, long range, heavy bomber.
(DoD photo by Senior Airman Sean M. White, U.S. Air Force. (Released))
What Next? The active fleet is slated to grow from 42 to 44 aircraft. Each pylon can hold ~7,500 lbs; recent tests have used about six stations. The upgrade shifts the B-1B from permissive CAS toward survivable standoff strike, with flight-software integration and testing still ahead.
The B-1B Lancer Gets One Last Upgrade
Recently, it has been confirmed that the U.S. Air Force is moving forward with an upgrade package for the B-1B Lancer that includes the addition of external pylons to the aircraft.
This upgrade significantly enhances the B-1B’s carrying ability and potentially allows the integration of hypersonic weaponry in the future.
The upgrade also maintains the B-1B as a staple of the U.S. strategic bomber forces in case the B-21 Raider program experiences delays or other issues.
The Details
In the proposed budget for the 2026 Fiscal Year, the Air Force asked for over $50 million for the External Heavy-Stores Pylon program.
This program is aimed not only at installing external pylons for the B-1B, but also at increasing the overall fleet itself—currently, the U.S. field has around 42 B-1B bombers in active service.
A B-1B Lancer prepares to return to Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, during Bomber Task Force 25-2 at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 15, 2025. BTF missions provide opportunities to train and work with our allies and partners in joint and combined operations and exercises. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mattison Cole)
B-1B Lancer Bomber. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
In the upcoming year, the Air Force intends to increase the fleet size back up to 44 aircraft. This is primarily to ensure that there is no capability gap while the B-21 gets rolled out.
The integration of the new Load Adaptable Modular (LAM) pylons allows the B-1B to increase its payload capacity, which is already impressively high as it is. It will enable the bombers to carry advanced cruise missiles or precision-guided bombs externally, which adds more versatility to the aircraft’s arsenal.
The goal is to allow the B-1B to carry more advanced weaponry like the AGM-183A, the AGM-158 JASSM, and the HACM hypersonic cruise missile. This ensures that the B-1B can have the deadliest and most advanced weaponry in the U.S. arsenal, thereby boosting the U.S strategic capabilities.
It is currently unknown how many LAM pylons will be installed on each B-1. However, according to Boeing, each pylon is capable of carrying 7,500 lbs of munitions, enabling each pylon to carry at least one advanced cruise missile.
Recent tests have incorporated around six hard points. If six hardpoints are the target, then the B-1 will have an additional carrying capacity of around 45,000 lbs of munitions on top of its already insane payload of 75,000 lbs.
Initial production models of the B-1 originally incorporated six external hardpoints, which were intended to carry cruise missiles with nuclear warheads. These hardpoints were later phased out after the end of the Cold War when the B-1 shifted to a purely conventional bomber.
Catching Up in the Hypersonic Arms Race
A major focus of the program is to test and integrate hypersonic weapons. The U.S. has been investing heavily in its domestic hypersonic missile programs for some time now. Currently, the HACM (Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile) is the most promising program, which may one day become part of the B-1B’s arsenal.
AGM-183A and the AGM-183A ARRW, are another promising program. Although it was thought to have been cancelled back in 2023, the U.S. Air Force has requested funds in the 2026 budget to acquire an unspecified amount of these weapons.
The U.S. has notably fallen behind its adversaries in the hypersonic arms race. China has reportedly developed and tested hypersonic missiles of various types and is steadily growing its arsenal.
Russia, meanwhile, has tested its hypersonic missiles in live combat conditions in Ukraine. The KH-47M2 “Kinzhal,” 3M22 “Zircon,” and the nebulous “Oreshnik” missile have all been used at least once in Ukraine and are actively being integrated into Russia’s military. By contrast, America has little to show for its efforts aside from a few tests. However, as the new budget seems to demonstrate, the U.S. is increasing its efforts to produce hypersonic missiles with the B-1B and B-52 acting as the testbeds for these new missiles.
Keeping the B-1B Relevant
The new upgrades to the B-1 allow the bomber to use stand-off munitions from safe distances like the B-52. During the War on Terror, the B-1B mainly partook in CAS missions and dropped conventional munitions on terrorist positions with relatively few enemy air defenses. In modern warfare against contemporary air defenses, the B-1 is an easy target without stealth capabilities.
The LAM pylons ensure that they can be used to deliver long-range missiles without putting the aircraft in danger. These upgrades are likely motivated by a potential war with China sometime in the future. In such a conflict, the B-1 would likely be tasked with delivering stand-off munitions from long ranges, safe from enemy air defenses.
It is also likely that the U.S. has been studying Russia’s use of strategic aircraft in its air campaigns against Ukraine. The Tupolev Tu-160, the Russian equivalent of the B-1B, has seen limited use in combat operations, but it has been used to deliver cruise missiles against Ukrainian infrastructure from long ranges.
The Air Force has likely studied these methods to determine their effectiveness and learned lessons from them. The LAM pylons transform the B-1B from a purely conventional bomber to a strategic missile carrier.
With all that being said, there is still much work to be done. According to the Air Force, testing needs to be done before the pylons can be integrated.
Additionally, software on the bomber’s computers needs to be installed so that the aircraft’s flight systems can recognize the new hardware. These systems take time to perfect, but it is necessary to maintain constant readiness while the B-21 program is underway.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
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Dennis S.
September 21, 2025 at 2:22 pm
To raise the fleet from 42 to 44 bombers? Where the heck are 2 more going to come from?!
The writer brings up the issue, then doesn’t address it!