The Air Force’s B-1B Lancer ‘Bone’ Bomber Is Fighting In a World It Was Never Designed to Fly In

The Air Force’s B-1B Lancer ‘Bone’ Bomber Is Fighting In a World It Was Never Designed to Fly In

The B-1B Lancer was first developed in the 1970s and was designed to penetrate Soviet airspace at high speeds and high altitudes in order to deliver devastating nuclear strikes. However, today the strategic landscape is completely different. Over time, both China and Russia have begun fielding advanced air defense systems such as the HQ-9 and the S-400, thereby reducing the likelihood that the B-1B could penetrate their airspace. Despite this, t…