@ Fairfield, CA
July 2011
This photo from the Travis AFB airshow shows a different view of the “Bone”, noticeably the raised overwing fairing and General Electric F101-GE-102 turbofan exhaust. First flown in 1974, the B-1 is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the USAF. The B-1A had a top speed of Mach 2.2 at high altitude and could also fly long distances at Mach 0.85 at very low altitudes. Escalating costs of the aircraft, progress in stealth technology, and the introduction of cruise missiles contributed to the program being canceled in 1977 after four B-1A prototypes had been built. The B-1 program would be revived in 1981, subsequent B-1B models have a reduced maximum speed of Mach 1.25. Nikon D300 w/18-200mm.
