Washington. September 25. INTERFAX-The US Air Force has withdrawn 17 B-1B Lancer strategic bombers from combat due to wear and tear, the cost of repair and modernization, the global strike command reported.
On the eve of the last bomber arrived at the US Air Force base Davis-Monthen in Arizona, where the largest fleet of aircraft in the world is stored for conservation.
At the beginning of the year, the US Air Force had 62 such aircraft, now 45 units remain in combat.
"With the reduction in the number of B-1Bs, maintenance personnel will be able to devote more time and attention to each remaining aircraft in the fleet," said Brigadier General Kenyon Bell, director of logistics and engineering at the US Air Force Global Strike Command.
"The beginning of the decommissioning of these aging bombers opens the way for the (new) B-21 Raider bomber, "Bell said." Continuous operation over the past 20 years has affected our B-1B fleet. And if we return to the previous status quo, in the short term we would have to spend 10-20 million on each decommissioned aircraft until the B-21 is put into operation."
By decommissioning these aircraft now, the Air Force Global Strike Command will be able to focus on determining priorities for the current fleet composition, including its modernization to make the bomber fleet more deadly and combat-ready in general, the general added.
According to him, the US Air Force needs to move from three types of strategic bombers to two - the modernized B-52 and the new generation B-21 aircraft, in order to deter both current and growing powers.
As US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall reported this week, the United States is completing the construction of the first five new B-21 strategic stealth bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. It is planned that the first test flight of the promising strategic bomber will take place in early 2022.
The new-generation B-21 Raider strategic bomber, developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Air Force, has a significant bomb load, low visibility and is capable of carrying both conventional ammunition and nuclear weapons.
The aircraft is designed to replenish the existing fleet of American strategic bombers B-1B Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress, and in the future - their replacement. The US Air Force plans to receive at least 100 B-21 Raider aircraft with a total cost of $80 billion.
