The supersonic bomber underwent an “intensive” regeneration and depot maintenance effort by US Air Force technicians.
A formerly retired Boeing B-1B Lancer heavy bomber has returned to the skies after an extensive two-year overhaul to restore the jet.
The US Air Force confirmed the milestone on 6 May, saying B-1B number 86-0115 took off from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma on 22 April and returned to operational service. The four-engined supersonic bomber had been retired in 2021 and sent to the famous aircraft “boneyard” in Arizona for long-term storage.
The B-1B in question had been stored in “Type 2000” condition, meaning it was designated as a source for spare parts but also preserved in a way that it could be restored to flying condition.
However, flying condition does not necessarily mean combat-ready, with significant overhaul potentially required, such as installation of critical mission systems.
This marks the second retired B-1B restored to active duty in recent years, with the first coming in 2024. The USAF dispatched 17 B-1Bs to retirement in the boneyard in 2021 under a plan to cut costs by reducing the fleet size.
However, the loss of multiple Lancers to non-combat mishaps in recent years led the Pentagon to pull retired B-1Bs back into service. That process can vary, depending upon the condition of each mothballed aircraft.
To accomplish the restoration of 86-0115, the air force says more than 200 military and civilian personnel from the 567th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Tinker worked extended shifts to complete system overhauls and structural repairs, replacing more than 500 components.
That work was completed in February. Then, test pilots flew the aircraft in a stripped, bare-metal configuration, conducting functional check flights to validate systems and performance. After a clean bill of health, the USAF declared the restored B-1B fully mission capable and sent it to Tinker’s on-site paint facility.
The jet received new livery in April and departed the Oklahoma station for Dyess AFB in Texas – one of two facilities that permanently house the USAF fleet, which aviation analytics company Cirium lists as having 43 aircraft.
That fleet has seen multiple combat deployments in recent years, most recently participating in the US-Israeli air campaign against Iran.
In 2024, B-1Bs carried out an intercontinental bombing mission to strike targets in Syria, flying nonstop from North America.
The Lancers’ 34,020kg (75,000lb) payload enables it to carry 84 of the USAF’s Mk82 226kg general purpose bombs or 15 GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs.
The type is also capable of carrying advanced cruise missiles like the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.
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