@ Fairfield, CA
May 2022
One of the highlights of attending the Wings Over Solano Airshow was seeing this Rockwell B-1B (nicknamed “Bone” by her crews) making a high-speed pass with afterburners blazing. Based at Ellsworth, SD, this aircraft flew to Travis AFB just to perform a few flybys before departing without even landing. First flown in 1974, this intended replacement for the venerable B-52 Stratofortress did not enter service until 1986. The original B-1A program was cancelled in 1977 after four prototypes were built. The bomber was resurrected in 1982 with a shift to a low-altitude penetrator mission. The 45 B-1Bs currently in service are planned for retirement in 2036, replaced by the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider.