On January 5, 2024, a B-1B "Lancer" strategic bomber belonging to the U.S. Air Force's Global Strike Strategic Command crashed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, causing the plane to be scrapped. This was the first crash of the US military since the beginning of the New Year and the eleventh crash of a B-1B bomber, which attracted widespread attention at home and abroad.
The B-1B bomber is one of the important strategic bombers of the US Air Force, it is a supersonic speed, long-range, multi-purpose heavy bomber, capable of performing high-altitude and high-speed or ultra-low-altitude penetration strategic bombing missions, is the US Air Force currently in service of the three strategic bombers, the strongest one of the bomb hanging ability and ultra-low altitude penetration capability. The B-1B bomber has a maximum bomb load of 34 tons and can carry various types of conventional or nuclear **, including cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, precision-guided bombs, etc., and is a sharp weapon for the US Air Force to deal with enemy surface fleets and inland targets.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the cause of the crash was the failure of one of the plane's engines in flight, which caused the plane to lose power, coupled with the poor meteorological conditions at the airport at that time, the plane could not be controlled during landing and crashed into the runway, causing a fire and fire. The wreckage of the plane was scattered around the runway, and residents near the airport heard a loud ** sound. The U.S. Air Force said it has formed an investigative committee to conduct a thorough investigation and analysis of the cause and responsibility for the accident.
The accident caused certain losses to the strategic bombing force of the US Air Force, and also exposed some problems with the B-1B bomber. The B-1B bomber was put into service in the 80s of the last century, and has a history of more than 40 years. The U.S. Air Force originally had 62 B-1B bombers, but for various reasons, only 45 (including the crashed one) are currently in service, and many of these aircraft are low in availability and often in a state of maintenance.
The U.S. Air Force has planned to phase out the B-1B bomber and replace it with the new B-21 "Raider" stealth bomber, a long-range bomber that uses stealth technology and can penetrate enemy air defenses, which is expected to enter service in 2025 and will eventually replace the B-1B and B-2 bombers as the main strategic bomber of the U.S. Air Force. With the B-21 bomber, the U.S. Air Force hopes to improve its strategic strike capabilities against potential adversaries such as China and Russia.
However, the development of the B-21 bomber has not been smooth, and there has not been any public display of physical objects or test flights, but only some concept drawings and models have been released, which raises doubts about its performance and reliability. Moreover, the B-21 bomber is also very expensive to build, and the cost of each is expected to exceed $1 billion, much higher than the $300 million for the B-1B bomber. The U.S. Air Force plans to purchase 100 B-21 bombers, with a total cost of $100 billion, which is also a big burden for the financial pressure of the United States.
Therefore, the U.S. Air Force will also need to rely on the B-1B bomber to maintain its strategic bombing force for some time to come, especially in the face of challenges from countries such as China and Russia, the B-1B bomber is still an important strategic deterrent means for the U.S. Air Force. The U.S. Air Force is also constantly improving and upgrading the B-1B bomber, increasing its bomb load and combat radius, and improving its survivability and strike effect. The U.S. Air Force hopes to be able to extend the service of the B-1B bomber until about 2040, and will not retire the B-21 bomber until it is fully operational.