B1-B dragged out of the Boneyard

[Kirkhill]

B-1B “Apocalypse II” Out Of The Boneyard And Back In Service

After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service. After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service.

www.twz.com

Apparently the A-10 isn't the only retiree getting re-upped.

I suppose, given the rise of cardboard aircraft, cropdusters, an lawnmowers in the sky that collection of old airframes in the desert with a few hundred hours left on the airframes might look kind of attractive.

We are arming drones.
We having been turning boneyard residents into drones for a while.
Why not?

 

[Fishbone Jones]

B-1B “Apocalypse II” Out Of The Boneyard And Back In Service

After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service. After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service.

www.twz.com

Apparently the A-10 isn't the only retiree getting re-upped.

I suppose, given the rise of cardboard aircraft, cropdusters, an lawnmowers in the sky that collection of old airframes in the desert with a few hundred hours left on the airframes might look kind of attractive.

We are arming drones.
We having been turning boneyard residents into drones for a while.
Why not?

When I was at Tyndall AFB, in 1981, we were proving the VooDoos to carry nukes. They flew against Firebee drones and F-102 Delta Daggers. The F-102's had been turned into radio controlled drones and were operated by SRC.

F-102 Drones

Pics of Firebee drone recovery and F-102 drones at Tyndall Station

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Keeping in mind that the US has to often reach 1,000's and 1,000 of miles to hit an enemy or to sustain the logistics of keeping a force in theatre near a contested area/enemy. Drones aren't there yet for that kind of reach. Even as they flesh out their drone force, they need manned weapons and support ships to support them and find and authorize the targets.

This problem gets worse as the US loses allies or the ability to influence them.

 

[brihard]

Well now it’s just a ‘yard’.

 

[KevinB]

B-1B “Apocalypse II” Out Of The Boneyard And Back In Service

After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service. After nearly two years of work, the Bone once known as Rage has completed its journey out of the desert and back to active service.

www.twz.com

Apparently the A-10 isn't the only retiree getting re-upped.

I suppose, given the rise of cardboard aircraft, cropdusters, an lawnmowers in the sky that collection of old airframes in the desert with a few hundred hours left on the airframes might look kind of attractive.

We are arming drones.
We having been turning boneyard residents into drones for a while.
Why not?

Keep in mind this was one airframe brought back. It was brought back due to a Congressional mandate to have 44 B1-B in service.

It is pretty clear the current fleet has gotten a reprieve from the BoneYard, but outside of Apocalypse II being brought back, there are no plans to reactivate the others that are currently sitting there.

Having seen a B1 strike in Afghanistan they are quite impressive.

Keeping in mind that the US has to often reach 1,000's and 1,000 of miles to hit an enemy or to sustain the logistics of keeping a force in theatre near a contested area/enemy. Drones aren't there yet for that kind of reach. Even as they flesh out their drone force, they need manned weapons and support ships to support them and find and authorize the targets.

You realize how far a MQ-9B can go right?
With enough time and money, converting a B1-B into a drone would not be that awkward at all.

That said, I suspect the B-52's would be a more likely option for conversion, as the survivability of the B-52 in a contested area is dramatically lower than the B1.

This problem gets worse as the US loses allies or the ability to influence them.

Somewhat, keep in mind B-52's flew from Guam to Vietnam to bomb and back and in the opening of Desert Storm flew to Iraq and back to Louisiana.
Operation Secret Squirrel: the story of the top-secret ultra-long range B-52 Stratofortress mission that opened strikes of Operation Desert Storm
So a problem, but not insurmountable for the USAF over the past 5 decades.

 

[Kirkhill]

Keeping in mind that the US has to often reach 1,000's and 1,000 of miles to hit an enemy or to sustain the logistics of keeping a force in theatre near a contested area/enemy. Drones aren't there yet for that kind of reach. Even as they flesh out their drone force, they need manned weapons and support ships to support them and find and authorize the targets.

This problem gets worse as the US loses allies or the ability to influence them.

The day has not arrived where manning is not required.

But.

Every day the number of people required shrinks, the reach of unmanned systems increases, and the capabilities of the unmanned systems increases.

And, as a side benefit/cost, the rate of response increases, All we have to do now is move the payload where it needs to be as quickly as possible and it is far easier to shockproof silicon chips than brain cells.

....

Hypersonics is the word of the era. Another way of phrasing that is rocketry.

Jet engines get you to supersonic flight. Rockets get you hypersonic.

Rockets aren't new but they have always suffered from inaccuracy issues, Shockproof silicon chips have solved that problem cost effectively.
A couple of thousand bucks will land any flying object, regardless of power source where you want it - rocket, jet, ICE, electric or gravity.

Rockets get you there fast. What is the best power source once you are there and want to float aound for a while? Which allows you to stay on the area longest?

Missiles deploying blimps?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Challenge with long range missile, is they might be interpreted as a nuclear attack, that might trigger a very bad response. We need weapon systems that are clearly conventual and at the more tactical level