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B-1 (THE BONE) Completes 10,000th Combat Mission
Amazing for a fleet of only 66 aircraft... Imagine the feeling of a friendly warfighters watching a B-1 hugging the ground flying CAS overhead. Now imagine a Taliban fighter watching same. Congratulations to all the B-1 aircrews and to Boeing. This squawk links to a video/interview of the Bone. Here's the full story: http://www.dodbuzz.com/2012/02/27/the-bone-notches-10000-combat-missions/ (www.military.com) 기타...
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I bet that these great bombers have at least another 25 years of useful life so I don't see any justifiable reason why the USAF is hell bent on acquiring a NEW bombers at a cost of easily of 500 billion A PIECE. Wake up America, enough is enough, STOP the unnecessary waste.
I worked flight test support and avionics maintenance for the BONE out of Detachment 2, 53d Test and Eval Group at KRCA from May 1998 until my retirement in June, 2002. I supported Block D the last phase of operational testing and the Block D Force Development Evaluation. I worked directly with the Boeing engineers and my fellow maintainers throughout that period. I can't speak to what Rockwell did or didn't do for the jet - I was working the BUFF during that period. What I do know is that Boeing's Block D brought the BONE into the combat center arena (finally) because of the installation of GPS and JDAMs. No - I never have and I don't currrently work for Boeing. Despite significant problems with the ARC-210 radios that were also part of Block D, the aircrew and maintenance members along with the engineers at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma made that jet into a stellar performer. That success continues today. I guess what happened way back in the day with Rockwell can be debated. I'd rather revel about the efforts of the aviators, maintenance, support personnel and contractors that result in fewer ground combat casulties and a host of other accomplishments that the BONE has and continues to achieve.
If it only got a little better gas mileage... Man, can that jet burn some gas...
If it only got a little better gas mileage... Man, can that jet burn some gas...
Outstanding!
"Congratulations to all the B-1 (B-1B) aircrews and to Boeing." Don't you mean Rockwell International?? Rockwell was sold to Boeing in Dec 1996, 8 years after the last B-1B's came of the Rockwell line. Boeing did not have much to do with building the aircraft. You can thank them, i suppose, for all the upgrades that occured with the different block versions after 1996.
Nope...I meant Boeing. Together with the Air Force line crews, they keep them supported and flying. I guess I could add the former engineers and assembly folks who built the 66 Bones still flying, though.
Scott ?> It was Rockwell International.. I was an Inspector (flight line) and preflighted those babies. for the AF to fly them out.
Yeah, i suppose you could say thanks to the folks who actually designed and built the aircraft - NOT Boeing. When thanking Boeing, you can also thank every other contractor out there. It's not all Boeing, sorry to burst your little bubble.
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b-1b/
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/b-1b/
Thank you for the "thanks". Actually it was North American Aviation that merged with Rockwell International. I worked on the design of the B-1A as a young aerodynamics design engineer. Did the supersonic wave drag analysis for the initial designs in the fall of 1969 thru the spring of 1970 using early computer software that I helped develop running on IBM 65 era computers. Programs and data were on punched cards and loaded thru card reader for each run. The elongated "cockpit fuselage" was a result of the analysis.
Also did flight test data analysis for flight & landing performance for the last flight of the B-70 Valkyrie. Worked on the aerodynamic design for the F-14 and F-15 proposals. North American's F-15 was too far advanced for its time being a blended wing body stealth design in 1969!
After leaving NA in spring of 1970 as a result of the infamous So. Calif Aerospace Layoffs, I went to work for Lockheed. Worked for Lockheed for 30 years doing computerized engineering design and flight test data analysis. Worked on virtually all Lockheed aircraft designed and built up until 2000. From 1984-1992, I was Dorcy Smith's Chief Engineer for the $150M Weapons Systems Simulation Center at the Kelly Johnson Research Center in Rye Canyon, CA. WSSC was instrumental in demonstrating Lockheed's design for the ATF/F-22 Dem/Val competition. Last ten years, 1990-2000, was with the Skunk Works as the Manager of Avionics Systems Engineering for the F-117A. Saw and experienced amazing things during my 32 years after graduate school.
Also did flight test data analysis for flight & landing performance for the last flight of the B-70 Valkyrie. Worked on the aerodynamic design for the F-14 and F-15 proposals. North American's F-15 was too far advanced for its time being a blended wing body stealth design in 1969!
After leaving NA in spring of 1970 as a result of the infamous So. Calif Aerospace Layoffs, I went to work for Lockheed. Worked for Lockheed for 30 years doing computerized engineering design and flight test data analysis. Worked on virtually all Lockheed aircraft designed and built up until 2000. From 1984-1992, I was Dorcy Smith's Chief Engineer for the $150M Weapons Systems Simulation Center at the Kelly Johnson Research Center in Rye Canyon, CA. WSSC was instrumental in demonstrating Lockheed's design for the ATF/F-22 Dem/Val competition. Last ten years, 1990-2000, was with the Skunk Works as the Manager of Avionics Systems Engineering for the F-117A. Saw and experienced amazing things during my 32 years after graduate school.
Now those are three of the most interesting paragraphs I've read in a long time... I sure would love to read some of your stories. Hope you write them down someday.
