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The B-1B Lancer is the US Air Force Long Range Strategic Bomber, developed by Rockwell International, now Boeing Defense And Space Group. The B-1B became operational in 1986 about 95 currently in service. The B-1B has the largest internal payload of any current bomber. Photo above is the B-1B. B-1B has two unique skills to break into the enemy`s defense area, Supersonic speed and stealthy body. The B-1B has a concinnity fuselage There are four crew pilots controling the B-1B, chief pilot, co-pilot, defensive systems operator (DSO) and offensive systems operator (OSO). The DSO station is equipped with the interface for AIL Systems Inc ALQ-161 defensive avionics system and a Honeywell multifunction display linked to the aircraft's Offensive Avionics System (OAS). The OSO station is equipped with two Honeywell multifunction displays linked to the OAS. B-1A
Although the B-1B is able to accomplish strategic missions, it does not currently carry nuclear weapons according to the requirement of tactics missions. The aircraft has three internal weapon bays and six external hardpoints under the fuselage. The maximum internal weapons payload is 75,000 lb and maximum external weapons payload is 59,000 lbs. The internal weapons bays are capable of carrying the AGM-86B Air Launch Cruise Missile (ALCM), the AGM-69 Short Range Attack Missile and the JDAM Joint Direct Attack Munition. The external hardpoints can carry the AGM-86B ALCM. AGM-86B, The mostly weapon of USAF bombers, is a strategic cruise missile fitted with a conventional warhead, with a yield of 200 kt and a range up to 2,500 km. The B-1B is certificated to carry the AGM-69 nuclear strategic stand-off missile but it is not currently carried. The Boeing JDAM uses global positioning system/inertial navigation guidance for delivery of the 1,000 lb Mark 83, 1000lb BLU-110, 2,000 lb MK-84 and 2,000lb BLU-109. The range of JDAM is up to 15 miles and strike precision is within 13 m. Other bomb payload includes the Mark 82 general purpose 500lb bomb, or up to 30 Textron Sensor Fuzed Weapons (SFW). SFW has ten anti-armour submunitions, each with four Skeet warheads. The B-1B can also carry the 500lb Mark 36 Mine and the 500lb Mark 62 Sea Mine.
B-1B`s radar may be the very best one of all bombers` of the world. The Northrop Grumman APQ-164 Offensive Radar System is a multi-mode radar with an electronically scanned phased array antenna which provides high-resolution terrain mapping, velocity data, beacon modes, terrain avoidance, terrain following, position data, weather detection, rendezvous and calibration modes. In fact when operating, this radar and the ECM suite are more significative to the B-1B than its own supersonic speed. The B-1B is equiped with a comprehensive set of avionics systems. The AN/ALQ-161 defensive avionics suite provides jamming against early warning radars and the fire control radars of missiles and anti-air guns. The processing algorithms are installed on an IBM AP-101F digital computer. The system also incorporates Northrop Grumman jamming transmitters, Raytheon phased array antennas and a tail warning pulse Doppler radar which gives rear facing hemispherical coverage. The AN/ALQ-161 system's countermeasures is formed of dispensers for expendable decoys including chaff and flares. The ECM suite of the B-1B is to be upgraded with the AN/ALR-56 radar warner and the Integrated Defensive ECM suite (IDECM), developed for the F/A-18 fighter aircraft. The upgrade is due to be completed by 2007. The navigation job of B-1B is carried out by Honeywell ASN-131 radar altimeter, Singer Kearfott inertial navigation system, Teledyne Ryan APN-218 Doppler radar Velocity Sensor (DVS), Honeywell APN-224 radar altimeter, Rockwell Collins ARN-118 TACAN Tactical Air Navigation system and Rockwell Collins ARN-108 Instrument Landing System (ILS). With the changing situation at the end of Cold War, the USAF instituted the B-1B Conventional Mission Upgrade program. This series of upgrades involves: Block C (completed 1997) - capability to drop cluster bombs; Block D (first delivery January 1999) includes deployment of JDAM, new defensive system, new navigation and communications systems including the fitting of GPS (global positioning) systems to enable the dropping of satellite-guided munitions such as JDAM, and an AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system scheduled for 2003; and Block E (due to enter service in 2002) - capability to deploy JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon) and Wind Compensated Munitions (WCM). The Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) is to enter low rate initial production in 2002 and will be deployed later.
Primary Function: Long-range, multi-role, heavy bomber
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