Planning for B-1, B-2 Retirements Depends on Progress of B-21

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Initial planning has begun for the retirement of the B-1 and B-2 bombers, but the game plan depends largely on progress in fielding the B-21 Raider—and on Congress—the Air Force’s bomber program executive officer said.

“The approach we’re taking” on the road to a two-bomber force for Air Force Global Strike Command is “maintaining our current capability and readiness in terms of our near-peer adversary” as the B-21 ramps up, said Col. (Brig. Gen. select) William S. Rogers in a recent interview.

“At this point the team’s really focused on maintaining that readiness, availability, survivability, and operational capability” for the B-1 and B-2 “while we get ready for the B-21 fielding.”

In an Air Force bomber roadmap from 2018, the service planned to retire the B-1 and B-2 in the 2031-2032 timeframe, but USAF has not updated those plans publicly since. Long-term, AFGSC plans to field “at least 100” B-21s and 75 B-52s.

The Rapid Capabilities Office, which manages development of the B-21, is taking an “events-based approach” to fielding the new aircraft, so hard plans for the B-1 and B-2 departures are not yet possible, Rogers said.  The “divestiture planning” is “looking at what makes sense, if there are any … unplanned delays on the B-21. Or if things just change.” He noted that “Congress gets a say in our divestiture plans, but at this point, we’re looking at multiple … avenues, to make sure the Air Force has the flexibility needed” and to provide as many options as possible for the Secretary of Defense and the President.

Both the B-1 and B-2 suffer from “vanishing vendor” issues, and the PEO shop, part of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, is “working with the primes on parts obsolescence,” Rogers said. During the pandemic, “there’s been instances where subs [subcontractors] went out of business, so … We engage with the primes and the Air Force Sustainment Center” looking for form, fit, and function replacements “that may be out there” as well as identifying new vendors and possible vendors. If the Air Force has the rights to parts, “we’ll work with the Rapid Sustainment Office to see if there’re any innovative ways to solve some of those problems.”

The B-1 and B-2 are doing well in terms of aircraft availability rates—the preferred metric over mission capability rates—and are hitting their goals, Rogers said. For the B-1, aircraft availability is 42 percent; for the B-2, it’s 55 percent.

The B-1 saw a surge in aircraft availability last year, when 17 airplanes retired from the fleet, but USAF left the number of maintainers at the previous level, meaning more maintainers were available for each airplane. Spare parts from 12 of the 17 aircraft also helped improve the B-1’s availability, which had suffered greatly from exhausting use in the Middle East over the last 20 years.

Results of a B-1B carcass physical teardown as well as a fatigue test on another carcass and the creation of a “digital twin”

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