B-1B Named Rage Brought Out Of Mothballs To Fly Once Again

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B-1B Named Rage Brought Out Of Mothballs To Fly Once Again

After three years at the boneyard, a

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Lancer, nicknamed Rage, has been resurrected and is flying once more. The re-appearance of the aircraft comes as the Air Force’s B-1B ******** look to be in the

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Aviation photographer Cayden Smith recently pictured B-1B Rage, with the serial number 86-0115, flying at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), located at the base, manages the Pentagon’s adjacent aircraft boneyard in Tucson.

Rage pictured flying at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. Cayden Smith " data-src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/KsO_oekCfstd_v44z0dP8A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYxNA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the_warzone_735/4e27fb5ffad556323ed6eb6408079204">

B-1B Rage pictured flying at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. Cayden Smith

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Cayden Smith

Rage was one of

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which ended up at the boneyard. This was to help consolidate the B-1 fleet from 62 to 45 aircraft to help improve overall readiness rates and cut costs before completion of the type’s replacement, the

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Moreover, Rage was just one of four B-1Bs

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into what’s known as Type 2000 (reclaimable) storage. Essentially, as

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, this means the aircraft are maintained in a fashion that makes it easier and quicker for them to return to service should the need arise, due to any potential future combat losses or accidents. Type 2000 storage is one step down from 

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which prohibits any part of the aircraft from being removed. Yet even in this type of storage, it can still take months to get aircraft ready to resume their operational duties.

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Rage pictured flying at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. Cayden Smith

It seems highly likely that the bomber has been restored to operational readiness to replace the B-1 that crashed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota earlier in January this year. As part of the aftermentioned consolidation of the B-1B fleet in 2021, there are strict legal requirements set by Congress for the service to maintain a fleet of 45 B-1Bs.

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The ******** of the B-1B after the aircraft came to rest adjacent to the runway at Ellsworth, in satellite imagery dated January 6, 2024. PHOTO © 2024 PLANET LABS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION

The B-1 fleet has seen its fair share of incidents and accidents over recent years, alongside general readiness issues. Notably, in 2021, an issue with the augmenter fuel pump filter housing led to a 

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This is not the first time we’ve seen a recently retired B-1B come back from Tucson to replace another due to an accident occurring.

In April this year, a B-1B nicknamed Lancelot — also retired in Type 2000 storage — was flown to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, to complete the

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before joining the Air Fleet. This was in order for it to replace another aircraft that was written off after a

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during routine maintenance at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, in 2022.

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Lancelot pictured earlier this year. U.S. Air Force photo by Clayton Cummins

Parts of B-1Bs have also been removed from the boneyard for various

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, too.

Other ******** have also been removed from the Bone Yard and placed back into service. In May 2019, the B-52 Wise Guy, serial number 60-0034

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in Louisiana to replace another one of the ******** that crashed and burned at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, three years before. Before that, the B-52 Ghost Rider, serial 61-0007,

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, North Dakota, in February 2015 to replace a B-52 written off after an electrical ***** broke out during routine maintenance in 2014.

While the size of the B-1 fleet has

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in recent years, the Air Force still values the Lancer. Efforts have been made to extend the life of the ******** prior to the introduction of the B-21, including flight envelope restrictions having been placed on the fleet, as well as systems and

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A B-1B during a Bomber Task Force mission over the Pacific Ocean, June 25, 2022. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Priest

The mission-set of the B-1B has also shifted back primarily to long-range strike after years of providing

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for counter insurgency operations during the Global War On *******. These

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— which can last nearly 40 hours — point to the kinds of operations the service likely expects to conduct with its new B-21.

Moreover, the type is also prized due to its load-carrying capabilities, including the potential carriage of larger weapons and possibly

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. The B-1B’s ability to

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over great distances is already extremely relevant to a potential ****** in the Pacific against China. These include the ability to *****

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), allowing the B-1B to target entire floatillas over great distances.

With this in mind, the B-1 fleet — now including Rage — will still be put to good use until it eventually faces retirement for good, but it is a bit concerning that two of just four attrition reserve airframes are already regenerated back to the relatively tiny fleet.

Hat tip: thanks to aviation photographer Cayden Smith for allowing us to use his pictures of Rage in this article.

Contact the author: *****@*****.tld

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#B1B #Named #Rage #Brought #Mothballs #Fly

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