The US Air Force (USAF) has recovered one of its B-1B Lancer bombers from a “graveyard” located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
The four-engine aircraft, nicknamed “Lancelot”, was restored to flying condition and moved to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to be overhauled and upgraded before returning to operational service.
According to the USAF, the B-1B was “resurrected” to replace a similar aircraft that was lost to an engine fire at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in 2022.
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Following restoration work, the aircraft will undergo a flight check before being delivered to Dyess Air Force Base.
Accident in January
The US Air Force retired 17 B-1B bombers in 2021, planning to remove the aircraft from service during this decade.
Both the B-1B and B-2 Spirit will be replaced by the new B-21 Raider stealth bomber, currently in development and low-scale production.
However, the turbulent international environment has caused the Pentagon to deploy strategic aircraft to various locations such as Europe and the Pacific.
Therefore, keeping the Lancer fleet in operational condition has become a priority, especially since the USAF lost another B-1B in January during a landing at Ellsworth Air Force Base.
It is not yet known whether another bomber in storage will replace the B-1 destroyed.
