DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing B-1 Bomber Completes 10,000th Combat Mission
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - February 28, 2012: The Boeing [NYSE: BA] B-1 bomber aircraft has completed its 10,000th combatmission. The heavy bomber entered service with the U.S. Air Force on June 29, 1985, and has been in nearly continuous combat for the past 10 years. The milestone mission took off from a base in Southwest Asia and was flown in support of operations over Afghanistan before returning to base.
"The B-1 brings tremendous flexibility to our nation's defense," said Lt. Col. Alejandro Gomez, mission team lead. "In any mission, the B-1 has the ability to loiter, dash, positively identify targets, show force, and strike targets precisely. Whatever our aircrews are asked to do, they can perform with this aircraft."
B-1 crews in Southwest Asia fly a variety of missions, including close air support for troops on the ground, giving them cover and alerting them to threats they cannot see. On-site maintainers keep thefleet ready to fly.
"10,000 conventional combat missions for a relatively small fleet of 66 B-1s is a major milestone and a testament to the men and women who built, sustain and modernize the fleet, including the U.S. Air Force, Boeing and our subcontractors," said Rick Greenwell, Boeing B-1 program director. "We continue to draw on expertise and experience from across Boeing to enhance our support of this amazing aircraft."
The B-1 bomber has advanced over the years as it is modified for current needs. The aircraft began as a nuclear bomber and moved into a solely conventional role in the 1990s. It carries the largest payload in the Air Force's long-range bomber fleet -- during Operation Iraqi Freedom, it dropped 40 percent of all weapons while flying only 5 percent of the sorties.
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