The Rockwell (now part of Boeing ) B-1 Lancer is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force (USAF). First envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload to replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortess, it developed primarily into a low-level penetrator with long range and supersonic speed capability at high altitude.
Designed by Rockwell Intenational, the bomber's development was delayed multiple times over its history, as the theory of strategic balance changed from flexible response to mutually assured destruction and back again. This change in stance repeatedly demanded then ignored the need for manned bombers. The initial B-1A version was developed in the early 1970s, but its production was canceled, and only four prototypes were built. The need for a new platform once again surfaced in the early 1980s, and the aircraft resurfaced as the B-1B version with the focus on low-level penetration bombing. However by this point development of steahlt technology was promising an aircraft of dramatically improved capability. Production went ahead as the B-1B would be operational before these "Advanced Technology Bomber" concepts, during a period when the B-52 would be increasingly vulnerable. It entered service in 1986 with the USAF Stategic Air Command as a nuclear bomber.
In the 1990s, the B-1B was converted to conventional bombing use. It first served in combat during Operation Desert Fox in 1998 and again during the NATO action in Kosovo the following year. The B-1B has supported U.S. and NATO military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Lancer is the supersonic component of the USAF's long-range bomber force, along with the subsonic B-52 and Northrop Grumman B-2 spirit. The bomber is commonly called the "Bone" (originally from "B-One"). With the retirement of the General Dynimics/Grumman EF-111A Raven in 1998 and the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in 2006, the B-1B is the U.S. military's only active variable-sweep wing aircraft. The B-1B is expected to continue to serve into the 2020s, when it is to be supplemented by the Next Generation Bomber.
Drie uitvoeringen mogelijk;
- "Iron Mistress" 45th Bomber squadron, 319th Bomber Wing, Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, Summer 1990.
- 28th Operations group, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, september 1996.
- "Eternal Guardian" 9th Bomb squadron, 7th Bomb Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, August 1996.
Aantal onderdelen; 272
Afmetingen;
- Lang; 908 mm.
- spanwijdte; 871 mm.
Features:
- Moveable swing-wing, can be fixed
- Moveable rear elevator
- Removeable emergency exit hatch
- Swivelling nosewheel landing gear
- Bomb bay doors optionally open or closed
- Removeable nose section with detailed radar equipment
- Detailed cockpit and navigation area
- Optional cockpit access ladder.
Revell verf kleur nr.'s; 15 / 36 / 48 / 90 / 91 / 301 / 363 / 374 / 378.
