What you need to know: The B-1B Lancer, the US Air Force’s only supersonic bomber, boasts a top speed of Mach 1.2 (900+ mph) despite its takeoff weight of 477,000 pounds and payload of 75,000 pounds.

-Powered by General Electric’s F101 afterburning turbofan engines, the B-1B excels with nearly 50 world records for speed, payload and range in its category.

-However, the Lancer, alongside the B-2 Spirit, will soon be retired in favor of the stealthy and subsonic B-21 Raider. With the phaseout of the B-1B, the United States will lose its only supersonic bomber, a unique capability in its air arsenal.

Bombers are not generally associated with high speeds. They are rarely fast. Bombers are designed to drop munitions at targets. As a result, they must accommodate these munitions in bulk, which requires a large airframe. This correlates with low speeds.

THE B-52 Stratofortress is an informative example. The heavy, eight-engine brute can reach 650 miles per hour, which isn’t much faster than the jet you might take at LaGuardia. The B-2 Spirit, meanwhile, a bomber built around stealth characteristics, has a top speed rated somewhere in the high subsonic range – again, not much faster than an Airbus commuter jet.

One bomber in the American inventory, however, flies at supersonic speed: the B-1B Lancer.

How fast is the B-1B Lancer?

THE B-1B Lancer is the fastest bomber in the American inventory. Its maximum speed is Mach 1.2, or more than 900 miles per hour at sea level.

Certainly, Mach 1.2 is no match for America’s fourth and fifth generation fighters, which can exceed Mach 2. But fighter jets are not tasked with carrying a payload of 75,000 pounds or a capacity of fuel 265,274 lbs. . The Lancer itself weighs around 190,000 pounds, with a maximum takeoff weight of 477,000 pounds. It’s a heavy aircraft, which makes the speed of Mach 1.2 more impressive than the raw speed figure suggests.

“The B-1B holds nearly 50 world records for speed, payload, range and climb time in its category,” the Air Force said. boastsadding that “the B-1B’s mixed wing/body configuration, variable geometry wings, and turbojet afterburners combine to provide long range, maneuverability, and high speed while enhancing survivability.”

The afterburning turbofan engine enabling the exemplary performance of the B-1B is the General Electric F101. In full afterburner mode, the F101 can deliver over 30,000 pounds of force. It was General Electric’s first afterburner engine and was designed specifically for the program that would become the B-1. An F101 was used experimentally in an F-16 Fighting Falcon in the early 1980s, and this experiment gave rise to GE’s F110, an F101 derivative that powers fighter jets like the F-15E Strike Eagle and the F -14 Tomcat.

The F-101 was also the starting point for what would become GE’s CFM56 series, a turbofan engine that would be used on commercial aviation platforms including the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 .

The end of the B-1

While the B-1B has served admirably for almost 40 years, the supersonic bomber has been doomed to retirement. Alongside the subsonic and stealthy B-2 Spirit, the B-1B will be gradually phased out in favor of the upcoming B-21 Raider, which is currently undergoing the first flight tests. Presumably, the B-21 is based on the B-2 flying wing configuration and will not have a supersonic top speed, meaning that once the B-1B is retired, the Air Force will be left without a supersonic bomber option.

About the author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with more than 1,000 total articles on issues related to world affairs. A lawyer, pilot, guitarist, and minor professional hockey player, Harrison joined the United States Air Force as a trainee pilot, but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MS from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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