The B-1B Lancer is not the first airplane one thinks of when pondering the future of U.S. Air Force bombers.
This is a warbird that originated in the Cold War and has served the nation well over the decades, plus there are plans that it may be retired by 2036 to make room for the B-21 Raider stealth bomber that is in production.
However, there is one modern weapon that could keep the “Bone” bomber relevant in the coming years: the hypersonic missile.
The B-1B Lancer: Hypersonic Attack Plane?
In 2024, the Air Force tested the B-1B for possibly carrying a hypersonic weapon.
The airplane had formerly been a strategic asset that could launch nuclear-tipped cruise missiles for an important leg of the U.S. nuclear triad.
Arms limitation agreements changed that capability to conventional bombing only in the mid-1990s, so the B-1B could use another mission besides dropping bombs.
Could the ‘Bone’ Deploy Hypersonic Weapons?
The service branch first needed a way to simulate the carrying of heavy munitions on the B-1B.
A nuclear-equipped hypersonic missile would be extremely heavy for the airplane, and engineers and technicians needed to collect testing data to see what would happen if the Bone were to deploy with such a large load of ordnance.
What Is a Pylon?
There is something from Boeing called a “Pylon” that the B-1B could carry that would simulate what would be needed to carry a hypersonic.
This pylon was officially termed “Load Adaptable Modular.”
Designers and technicians refer to it as a “Lego” piece because “its modular attach points can be repositioned, reducing the need for unique pylons and making it possible to test weapons for which an appropriate pylon may not exist,” according to AirandSpaceForces.com.
This pylon enables the B-1B to be a technology demonstrator and test bed for hypersonic weapons. Congress is behind the “pylon” system and appropriated ample funds for research and development in 2023.
The Ability to Carry 36 Hypersonics
Each pylon can sustain loads of up to 7,500 pounds, qualifying it to carry the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile. This air-breathing plus-MACH 5 missile would allow the B-1B to become a launcher for the future fight.
Here’s the best part. The B-1B could someday carry up to 36 Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles – 24 internally and 12 mounted on pylons.
The 412th Test Wing, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, is currently testing the pylon and Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles.
“We met the intent of Congress … and we now have a B-1 hypersonic testbed,” Joseph Stupic, a senior procurement officer for the B-1B bomber division, told reporters at a conference last year after Congress provided additional hypersonic testbed funds.
Making the B-1B a Noteworthy Platform for the Next Decade
The Air Force needs as many airplanes as possible to deploy hypersonic weapons. The B-1B could use a new mission that increases its relevance until it retires in about 11 years. It is not clear if the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile could be nuclear-capable, but if so, that would certainly make the Bone a valuable asset going into the future.
Combat Usage of a Hypersonic-Carrying B-1B
The Army and Navy have been testing hypersonic missiles from ground and naval launchers, and the Air Force is getting in on the action with its aerial hypersonic launch efforts. The B-1B is unfortunately not stealthy like the B-2 or B-21, but it has proved its worth in combat and could launch its hypersonics on Day 2 or Day 3 of warfare after stealth bombers neutralize enemy air defense systems.
An aerial-launched hypersonic would be helpful in an attack on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, as Tehran’s surface-to-air missile defenders have mostly been put out of action by an Israeli “bloody nose attack” last autumn. The B-21 is expected to be equipped with hypersonics too when it is ready, but with those plus-MACH 5 projectiles potentially on the B-1B, the Air Force solves a capability problem concerning the hypersonic program.
The B-52 has completed tests of the hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon.
This would give the Air Force another option for hypersonic launch, especially valuable if the Rapid Response Weapon were nuclear-capable.
Putting China and Russia On Notice
It is time for the Air Force to use all its resources to burst ahead of China and Russia with air-launched hypersonics.
The Army and Navy are doing their part in hypersonic development. Having the B-1B someday carrying up to 36 hypersonic weapons is great news for the Air Force and the B-1B program.
Russia and China will take note of this hypersonic arms race.
North Korea and Iran are also working to achieve hypersonic weapons deployments in the coming years. They all may be surprised that the Americans are moving ahead with hypersonics on the older B-1B that is not as top of mind anymore.
The pylon system is a noteworthy engineering breakthrough, and it allows the B-1B to have a sterling future.
Let’s see if the B-1B can have more successful tests with those Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missiles. Carrying 36 of the projectiles is a force multiplier that could be used by the Air Force to great effect in combat.
B-1B In Photos
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).
Image: YouTube Screenshot.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
