The U.S. Air Force Mobilized Entire B-1B Lancer Bomber Fleet

Key Points and Summary: The U.S. Air Force has relocated its entire B-1B Lancer bomber fleet from Ellsworth AFB to Grand Forks and Andersen AFB, preparing infrastructure upgrades for the upcoming B-21 Raider stealth bomber. The iconic B-1, known for its payload capacity and speed, is temporarily moved as runway upgrades occur ahead of the advanced B-21’s rollout.

Key Point #1 – The Raider will incrementally replace the B-1 and B-2, becoming America’s primary long-range, nuclear-capable stealth bomber.

Key Point #2 – Expected to be significantly stealthier and more cost-effective than the B-2, the B-21 Raider will represent the pinnacle of strategic air power, bolstering America’s deterrent capabilities in a modern threat environment.

Why the U.S. Air Force is Moving Its Entire B-1B Lancer Bomber Fleet

The United States Air Force has moved its entire fleet of B-1B Lancer bombers from their Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota to Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota and Anderson Air Force Base in Guam ahead of the upcoming B-21 Raider bomber rollout. 

“The temporary relocation is necessary to complete a runway construction project tied to the future bed down of the B-21 Raider and as the last B-1 departed January 25, 2025,” the United States Air Force explained in their statement.

They added that “it marked the first time in 30 years the Ellsworth flightline was empty of Lancers.” In essence, the U.S. Air Force is making preparations to infrastructure ahead of the rollout of the B-21.

B-1B Lancer Bomber, Explained

The B-1B Lancer is a Cold War-era mainstay of the U.S. Air Force bomber fleet that, though somewhat aged, is still prized by the U.S.A.F. for its relatively high top speed and large payload capacity.

In an era of increasingly sophisticated air defenses, the U.S. Air Force sought a bomber that could fly fast at low altitudes, hugging the ground where Soviet air defenses would struggle.

Thanks to its variable-sweep wing design, the bomber could cruise efficiently at altitude while also pulling off blisteringly high sprints to target to drop payload — including nuclear weapons.

Though the B-1 Lancer is still in service, it almost never saw the light of day thanks to a worse-than-expected low-altitude performance and ballooning costs. However, thanks to delays with the B-2 program, the B-1B Lancer bomber project was restarted as an interim bomber until the B-2 came online.

Behold, the B-21 Raider Strategic Bomber

Though outwardly similar to the B-2 Spirit flying wing bomber, the B-21 Raider will be a much more capable aircraft. In a program update given by the U.S. Air Force in September, America’s flying branch explained that the B-21 will “incrementally replace the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers to become the backbone of the Air Force’s flexible global strike capability. The airframe is a long-range, highly survivable stealth bomber capable of delivering a mix of conventional and nuclear munitions and will be the “air leg” of the nuclear triad, critical to deterring conflict.”

Though not yet in service with the U.S. Air Force, the B-21 is currently undergoing an airframe and wing fatigue testing regimen. The U.S. Air Force has previously expressed a desire to ultimately field at least 100 of the aircraft.

Northrup Grumman, the American aerospace firm behind the design, calls the B-21 the “world’s first sixth-generation aircraft.” Definitions aside, the Raider will almost certainly be the world’s stealthiest aircraft — fighter or bomber — when it enters service later this decade.

Exact details about the B-21 Raider are naturally not available to the public, but a rough comparison between the B-21 and older B-2 is still possible. The B-21 fleet will be roughly five times as big as the B-2 — if not more — and the cost per aircraft will be about a quarter of the cost per B-2, partly thanks to a significantly larger fleet size.

Though both aircraft share a similar flying-wing airframe design, advances in stealth coatings, as well as improved engines and superior stealthily contoured geometry, afford the B-21 a significant edge over the Cold War-era B-2 Spirit.

“Whether from North Dakota, South Dakota or from a forward operating base,” the U.S. Air Force said, “Raider maintainers have the capability and capacity to enable long range strike, anytime, anywhere.”

The B-1B Lancer Bomber: A Photo Essay 

Image: YouTube Screenshot.

A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer assigned to the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D. to Andersen AFB, Guam, flies a training mission over the Pacific Ocean Aug. 16, 2017. During the mission two B-1s were joined by Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15s in the vicinity of the Sankaku Islands. These training flights with Japan demonstrate the solidarity and resolve we share with our allies to preserve peace and security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joshua Smoot)

A B-1B Lancer assigned to the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., takes off on the first day of Red Flag 16-2 Feb. 29, 2016, at Nellis AFB, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman First Class Keven Tanenbaum).

Four B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, arrive Feb. 6, 2017, at Andersen AFB, Guam. The 9th EBS is taking over U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence operations from the 34th EBS, assigned to Ellsworth AFB, S.D. The B-1B’s speed and superior handling characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate in mixed force packages. While deployed at Guam the B-1Bs will continue conducting flight operations where international law permit. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Richard P. Ebensberger)

B-1B Lancer.

About the Author: Caleb Larson 

Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.