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Topic: B-1B "Lancer" - America's Bomber For The 21st Century
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-gbotto600-
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Ok this aircraft will play in an important part in the US war in Iraq (in fact they carried 80% of the bombs dropped on Afganistan) IMO the B-1B is the world's most powerful bomber and is the most potent strike bomber in service ANYWHERE
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B-1B "LANCER" STRATEGIC BOMBER, USA
The B-1B Lancer was developed by Rockwell International, now Boeing Defense And Space Group, and is the US Air Force Long-Range Strategic Bomber. The B-1B has the largest internal payload of any current bomber. The B-1B became operational in 1986 and there are about 92 in service. However, in July 2001, the US Department of Defense announced plans to cut its B-1B inventory to 60 by the end of 2002. The first aircraft was withdrawn from service in August 2002. 24 aircraft will be stored (10 "inviolate" and 14 for spares) and eight put on static display. The remaining fleet will operate from Dyess AFB, Texas and Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Savings made will be used to modernise the fleet. The upgrade program is planned to be completed in 2003.
COCKPIT
The aircraft is operated by four crew: pilot, copilot, defensive systems operator (DSO) and offensive systems operator (OSO). The DSO station is equipped with the interface for AIL Systems, Inc's 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.
WEAPONS
The B-1B does not currently carry nuclear weapons. The aircraft has three internal weapon bays and six external hardpoints under the fuselage. The maximum internal weapons payload is 75,000lb and maximum external weapons payload is 59,000lb. 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 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). The external hardpoints can carry the AGM-86B ALCM.
AGM-86B is a strategic cruise missile, fitted with a conventional warhead with a yield of 200kt and a range up to 2,500km. The aircraft is certificated to carry the AGM-69 nuclear strategic stand-off missile, although it is not currently carried. The Boeing JDAM uses global positioning system (GPS) and inertial navigation guidance for delivery of the 1,000lb Mark 83, 1000lb BLU-110, 2,000lb MK-84 and 2,000lb BLU-109. The B-1B can carry 24 JDAM, with a range up to 15 miles and strike precision within 13m.
The bomb payload of the B-1B includes the Mark 82 general-purpose 500lb bomb. It can also carry 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.
CONVENTIONAL MISSION UPGRADE PROGRAM
With the end of the 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 (completed June 2001) 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; Block E (due to enter service in 2003) - capability to deploy JSOW (Joint Standoff Weapon), Wind Compensated Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) and JASSM (Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile). JASSM entered low rate initial production in January 2002 with full production in 2003. Block F - the Defensive System Upgrade Program (DSUP) - has been terminated by the USAF.
As part of the Block E computer upgrade program, in May 2002 a B-1B successfully targeted three different weapon types (Mk-84 bomb, Mk-82 bomb and CBU-89 cluster munitions) against three separate targets.
COUNTERMEASURES
The AIL Systems 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 system's countermeasures include dispensers for expendable decoys including chaff and flares. The ECM suite was to be upgraded under the Defensive System Upgrade Program (DSUP) with the AN/ALR-56 radar warner and the BAE Systems Integrated Defensive ECM suite (IDECM), developed for the F/A-18 fighter aircraft. However, the USAF has decided to withdraw funding for the program.
RADAR
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.
NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
The aircraft has a Honeywell ASN-131 radar altimeter, a Singer Kearfott inertial navigation system, a Teledyne Ryan APN-218 Doppler radar Velocity Sensor (DVS), a Honeywell APN-224 radar altimeter, a Rockwell Collins ARN-118 TACAN Tactical Air Navigation system and a Rockwell Collins ARN-108 Instrument Landing System (ILS).
The communications suite includes ASC-19 AFSATCOM satellite communications, Rockwell Collins long-range ARC-190 HF radio, AlliedSignal KY-58 secure voice line-of-sight encryption device, Rockwell Collins ARC-171 UHF line-of-sight communications radio system, ARR-85 secure or open line-of-sight system and APX-101A IFF (Identification Friend or Foe).
ENGINES
The B-1B is equipped with four 30,000lb thrust class F101-GE-102 turbofan engines from General Electric. An in-flight refuelling receptacle allows refuelling from a KC-10 or a KC-135 tanker.
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Decima MAS
  \
When ancient Rome was near defeat,
the invincible Tenth Legion was raised:
they beat the barbarians on the battlefield
and Rome gained peace with honour again.
When the traitor, on September the eighth,
left the fatherland in infamy,
the Tenth Flotilla was raised from the sea
and it brought weapons at the cry for honour!
Oh our Tenth Flotilla,
you that mocked England,
you victorious on Alexandria,
Malta, Souda and Gibraltar,
you already victorious upon the sea,
now even on the dry land
you will win!
To you Italian ships, stolen from us
not in battle but by treason,
and to you, our prisoners and dead brothers,
we swear:
we swear that we'll came back,
let this be God's and the Flag's will.
We swear that we'll fight
until we obtain an honourable peace!
Posts: 7713 (1.18 per day) | From: NJ | Registered: May 2001 (6500 days)
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-gbotto600-
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Member # 155
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posted
some more shots (the paintings are publicity shots made during the 80's)
[img][/img]
Posts: 7713 (1.18 per day) | From: NJ | Registered: May 2001 (6500 days)
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Cloynez0r
Member
Member # 534
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posted
i find it hard to beleive that the smaller plane can hold more than a b-52 but i beleive you ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
and it looks pretty damn sleek too
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![[z06]](graemlins/z06.gif)
![[huepfenicon111]](graemlins/huepfenicon111.gif)
Posts: 2895 (0.47 per day) | From: TeXaN PridE | Registered: May 2002 (6150 days)
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Cloynez0r
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Member # 534
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posted
on second thought i realize how thin the b-52 is compared to the b-1b so nevermind
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Posts: 2895 (0.47 per day) | From: TeXaN PridE | Registered: May 2002 (6150 days)
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-gbotto600-
Addicted Member
Member # 155
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yeah many people think the B-52 is larger than the B-1, but in reality the B-1 is bigger
it can carry the largest payload of any bomber current in service
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Decima MAS
\
When ancient Rome was near defeat,
the invincible Tenth Legion was raised:
they beat the barbarians on the battlefield
and Rome gained peace with honour again.
When the traitor, on September the eighth,
left the fatherland in infamy,
the Tenth Flotilla was raised from the sea
and it brought weapons at the cry for honour!
Oh our Tenth Flotilla,
you that mocked England,
you victorious on Alexandria,
Malta, Souda and Gibraltar,
you already victorious upon the sea,
now even on the dry land
you will win!
To you Italian ships, stolen from us
not in battle but by treason,
and to you, our prisoners and dead brothers,
we swear:
we swear that we'll came back,
let this be God's and the Flag's will.
We swear that we'll fight
until we obtain an honourable peace!
Posts: 7713 (1.18 per day) | From: NJ | Registered: May 2001 (6500 days)
| IP: Logged |
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Hate Your State
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Member # 796
Rate Member
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posted
Can anyone say "war monger"?
Yay, let's glorify the vehicle that will wreak so much havoc on the sand niggers! Smash families, they don't feel anything but anti-American hate!
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"I think it would be a good idea." - Gandhi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization
Posts: 9 (0 per day) | From: BC, Canada | Registered: Mar 2003 (5838 days)
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