B-1A “Lancer”

The B-1 is a “swing wing” strategic bomber of blended wing-body design intended for high-speed, low-altitude penetration missions. Compared to the B-52, the B-1 uses shorter runways, can carry twice the payload, and has a smaller radar profile.  

The origin of the B-1 began as a USAF funded 1965 study to examine the replacement of the ill-fated North American B-70 Valkyrie and relatively slow B-52. The first prototype rolled out of Palmdale, California on October 26, 1974, and made its first flight on December 23, 1974. The B-1 flight test program continued until June 30, 1977, when President Jimmy Carter halted the production of the B-1.  

On October 2, 1981, President Ronald Reagan resurrected the B-1 program and approved the construction of 100 B-1s as part of his defense buildup initiative.  

Ours is the fourth and last B-1A model built. First flown in February 1979, the USAF primarily used it as the avionics test bed for the B-1B Program. Unlike the other B-1As which had crew escape modules, this aircraft has ejection seats (standard on the B-1B). This aircraft was delivered to the National Museum of United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio on December 16, 1986. It remained there for 17 years until it was disassembled and transported to the SAC Aerospace Museum in 2003.